Back to Life
by ROCkER.JACkSON
Summary: 1999 - Elizabeth Webber's life ends the day of the bike shop fire and Port Charles is left to live on without her. Then, one day, when Jason's out of town on assignment, he stumbles onto a girl being held hostage. The very same girl that people believe died the night the bike shop went up in smoke. How will people deal with Elizabeth's return from the dead? How will Elizabeth?
1. Chapter 1

**Back To Life**

 **~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~**

Sitting up on Lucky's bed, she smiles slightly, knowing that he would soon return to her. No matter what else may change in her life, the one thing she can always rely on is that Lucky will always return to her.

After all it has taken to get them to where they are, Elizabeth couldn't be happier with where they've ended up, so far in love with each other that nothing and no one else mattered. Hugging her legs to her chest, she admires the beautiful candles she had bought for him, touched that he cared enough to put them out, regardless of how his brother, Nikolas, teased him about it.

"Stay awake." she demands of herself, feeling the fatigue starting to win her over. "Lucky will be back soon...just stay awa..."

Slowly sliding down beneath the covers, she lets out one final yawn as the world around her turns dark, silently promising herself that she will only rest for as long as it takes Lucky to return. Five minutes tops, she swears as she slips deeper and deeper into the world of unconsciousness, no longer than that. Just five minutes.

 **~ . ~**

Lucky had been gone longer than he had anticipated, longer than he wanted to be, but it couldn't be helped. Lulu somehow found her way to his side and he couldn't deny her anything. Regardless of how he feels about his parents, he loves his sister to no end and he didn't have the heart to tell her that he couldn't sing her to sleep.

Tucking his sister into bed, he began to sing to her, treasuring every moment that he was granted for as long as he has it. He was so wrapped up in his baby sister that he nearly fell off the bed at the sight of the time, needing to get back to Elizabeth before she starts to worry. Knowing her, she's probably on the verge of sending out a search party for him or, even worse, on her way out to search for him herself.

Placing a soft kiss upon Lulu's forehead, he quietly makes his way out of her room, leaving the door open just a bit, before walking out the front door without a single word to his parents. He had been halfway to his apartment when he remembered the whole reason he was out of the apartment in the first place. Shaking his head, he places a call to a few of his friends, hoping one of them has Elizabeth's favorite ice-cream in their fridge.

"Thanks, man." he thanks his friend, securing the bag of ice-cream in his grip. "You're a real life saver, for real. Thanks."

"No sweat." his friend replies with a shrug of his shoulder. "Its just ice-cream."

"Yeah. I dare you to tell Liz that."

They share a laugh at that, both knowing how dangerous it is to tell Elizabeth than anything dealing with her cravings is just anything. With his task handled, Lucky starts to make his way back to his apartment, thankful that he didn't have to find a way into the closed convenience store to get the ice-cream she wanted.

He was back at the mid-point when he started to hear the escalation of sirens in the air, cop cars speeding off down the road at top speed. The closer he got to his apartment, the more his heart sank to his stomach, giving him a queasy feeling deep down. It couldn't be, he forces himself to believe, he was just there, it couldn't be his apartment. It couldn't be.

~ . ~

Everyone was on the scene, every able body man from the fire station to the police station, fighting their damnedest to get the fire under control. Their efforts didn't stem from the owner of the establishment, not in the least, not a single fire fighter or police officer really caring on that it with the owner being none other than Jason Morgan. It was the thought of a young man possibly being trapped within the confines of that building that had every single person working their damnedest to save him.

The police commissioner could only stare helplessly at the burning building as he prayed with all his might that the youngest Spencer wasn't trapped up in that building burning to death. It wasn't until he caught a glimpse of Lucky from the side of his eye that he breathed a breath of relief, quickly rushing over to the young man that looked like his whole world was crumbling down around him or, quite literally, burning down around him. Mac tried his best to console him on his lost items, insisting that it could have been much worse, until the words fell from Lucky's lips, tearing a whole through the commissioner's heart.

"Elizabeth's in there!" Lucky had shouted, trying to get past Mac to search for her himself.

"Lucky, I need to calm down and listen to me carefully!" Mac snapped at the younger man. "Are you sure she's in there? Lucky, are you sure?!"

"Yes, yes, Mac, I'm sure!" Lucky pleaded with the man. "You've got to get her out of there, man, you just gotta!"

Mac quickly orders the police lieutenant to keep Lucky back as he updates the firefighters and officers on the situation at hand. It was bad enough when he thought Lucky was in there, but knowing Elizabeth's trapped inside, something a woman in distress just never sits well with him.

Call it old style upbringing or whatever, but he just couldn't let that girl die without knowing they did everything they could to save her. The more they fought to put the fire out, the more it seemed to grow, making many of them start to lose hope in ever getting the flames under control much less save the innocent girl trapped within.

~ . ~

Lucky could feel his whole world literally crashing down around him as he watched the flames burn high into the night sky. His legs no longer able to hold him upright, Lucky dropped down onto the sidewalk, barely noticing his Aunt Bobbie lowering herself beside him, delicately wrapping her arms around him as he stares blankly at the burning building. All he could think of in that moment was that he should have been there. He should have been with her to protect her. To save her.

They had gotten the fire out by the time Jason Morgan and Sonny Corinthos stepped to the scene, their presence barely noticed by Lucky, who could do nothing more than stare at the cop standing in front of him holding Elizabeth's favorite necklace in his clutches, the necklace he had personally put around her neck before leaving her to buy her favorite ice-cream. Gingerly taking the tainted necklace into his grasp, Lucky shuts his eyes tightly as he closes his grip around the pendant.

"Kid, I know this is difficult, but I need to ask you a few questions." Lieutenant Taggert voices as he squats down in front of him.

"Does it have to be now?" Bobbie questions, gesturing to Lucky's pained expression. "Hasn't he been through enough tonight?"

"I understand the circumstances are painful, ma'am, but the more information I can gather on what conspired tonight..."

"Its fine." Lucky states plainly, his sole focus on the necklace when he finally opens his eyes. "Ask your questions."

"If you could just go over your night, tell me everything that happened, no detail is too small." Lieutenant Taggert says firmly. "Did you guys go anywhere different? Any unusual characters hanging about that were paying too much attention to you?"

"No, nothing like that." Lucky shakes his head. "We had dinner at Kelly's and Elizabeth decided she wanted to stay the night with me. We were having...we were having a great time...she just didn't want it to end."

"So you came back here right after Kelly's? No stops in between?" Lieutenant Taggert questions further. "Did you notice anyone hanging about when you got home?"

"We came straight back." Lucky states. "No stops. No one hanging around. The shop was already closed. There was no one around."

"Okay. So, you got back, then what?" Lieutenant Taggert questions. "What made you leave?"

"I should have been here." he mutters, gently fiddling with the pendant with his fingers. "It should be me...I should have been the one..."

"Lucky, no." Bobbie rubs his back soothingly. "You can't talk like that. You couldn't have known this would happen."

"I don't care." Lucky looks her dead in the eye. "It should have been me."

"Lucky, what happened next?" Lieutenant Taggert questions again.

"She wanted ice-cream, that's what happened next." he snaps, turning a glare on the cop. "For a stupid pint of ice-cream, I left her alone in my apartment and now...and now she's dead!"

"Is that enough?" Bobbie looks at Taggert. "Can I take him home now?"

"Yeah...that's enough, for now." Lieutenant Taggert rises from his position, tucking the notepad in his back pocket. "Before you go, I just need the necklace back. I'll personally give it back to you when we're done with it."

"Fine." Lucky drops the necklace into Taggert's hand. "I want it back."

"He'll get it back to you." Bobbie assures as she wraps her arm around him to help him back to her car. "Come on. Lets get you home."

"Take me to Audrey's." Lucky says plainly, avoiding looking at the building for a moment longer. "I need to see her."

"Okay." Bobbie says, keeping him close to her side. "Okay."

While Bobbie takes Lucky to her house, Sonny and Jason are left to figure out what happened and find the people responsible for setting Jason's bike shop on fire. Elizabeth may not have been on their short list of important people in their life, but she means something to Jason's sister and, for that, they will stop at nothing to make sure the person responsible pays with their life. Following the detectives, the two head down to the station to give their statements before they officially start looking into the shop fire.

~ . ~

The memorial was beautiful for what it was, Lucky being allowed to sit with Audrey and the family in the front of the church. Sonny and Jason made a brief appearance, not wanting to cause the mourners anymore stress than their presence already caused by walking through the door. Though they were cleared of any guilt in regard to the fire, Audrey still can't stand being around them and neither can any of the other Webbers.

To think that a couple of candles by the window had caused all of this, Lucky just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he didn't have to lose Elizabeth. The days of countless little moments, tons of hours listening to her beautifully addictive laughter, all of it gone forever and there's nothing he can do to change that. Sitting alone in his new apartment in Kelly's, Lucky does nothing more than stare at the blank wall, forsaking the entire world for as long as it takes to come to terms with the love of his life. Which, to him at this moment, seems like eternity.

 **A/N: A little twist on the bike shop fire...yeah...I went there.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Back To Life**

 **~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~**

Stepping into his boss's office, Jason couldn't remember a time when he had demanded his presence so urgently, bringing many unpleasant thoughts to mind as he rode his bike across town to get there. Checking in with the warehouse manager, he makes sure that things are running smoothly before knocking on the office door and making his presence known. The moment his eyes landed on Sonny, he knew that it wouldn't be a meeting to be taken lightly.

"Lock the door." Sonny instructs before pouring a couple glasses of scotch. "Sit."

"What's this about?" Jason dare questions as he accepts the glass of scotch before sitting across from Sonny.

"There's trouble brewing down in Puerto Rico." Sonny cuts straight to the point. "A new organization is rising up, spilling blood onto the streets. They want it handled immediately."

"Understood." Jason says firmly. "When do I leave?"

"Plane's fueling up." Sonny assures. "Once the pilot has the jet ready to go, he'll call. Take whoever you need. Just get it done."

Rising to his feet, Jason was about to walk out the door when he notices Sonny glancing down at the calendar with a pained expression upon his face. Knowing exactly what day it is, Jason had a clear understanding of the pain currently portrayed on his boss's face.

As much as they know that it wasn't their fault, the young woman's death still plagues them till this day. Especially on this day, the one year anniversary of the bike shop fire, and he's certain it will plague them for the rest of their lives. A death as tragic as that isn't something you just forget.

Everyone that held her close to their heart seem to be moving on relatively well, better than he had anticipated and, he'd suspect, better than any of them had anticipated, as well. Lucky Spencer has started dating again, according to Emily, and it seems as if the current one just might stick. After the hell he had been through after the fire, Jason believes the man deserves some happiness, more so than others.

His sister had been through therapy in order to cope with the loss of her best friend and it seems to be doing the trick. She's started laughing and smiling again, the real genuine kind and not the ones she plasters on to make people believe she was okay when she wasn't. Since the fire they've been keeping in better touch with each other and he finds that to be a true blessing for them both.

Audrey Hardy has started to accept that the fire hadn't been he nor Sonny's fault, even going as far as to apologize at the Nurses' Ball for her treatment of them. Jason had never blamed her or the other Webbers for the way they perceived them, seeing as that's pretty much how all of society perceives them, but the family was justified in their outlook and he chose to let them feel however they wanted. A young woman was taken from them in a drastic way, no one can blame them for how they reacted, not even him.

Shaking his head, he continues his venture out of the office and back out to his bike, deciding he'll check in on his sister while he waits for the pilot to be ready for take off. He had gotten as far as the front door when Emily came barreling into him, throwing her arms around him fiercely as he fought to remain upright. Once he got them balanced again, Jason pulls away to look her in the eye, curious as to what brought that on.

"I heard your bike a mile out." Emily says simply, gesturing for them to take their usual spot on the front steps, knowing how much he hated for his presence to be known by anyone other than her and grandmother.

"You okay?" he starts off with his usual question, always needing to know.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Emily smiles softly, knowing that he worries for her. "Today's a good day."

"I'm glad." he admits. "It also makes what I have to say a little harder."

"What?" Emily looks at him curiously. "What is it?"

"I have to head out of town for a while." Jason admits. "Not sure how long exactly, but..."

"I know." Emily shakes her head. "I'll call Sonny."

"Thank you." he says, leaning over to place a soft kiss upon her forehead. "Love you."

"I love you, too." she replies wholeheartedly. "Be safe, okay?"

"Sure." he says before rising to his feet. "Take care of grandmother. Let her know I'll see her as soon as I get back."

"I will."

Wrapping his arms around his sister, a little less intense than the one that had transpired when he arrived, Jason makes his way back to his bike and takes off down the streets of Port Charles, deciding that he'll grab his travel bag and wait at the airstrip. He had been worried about his sister, given the day, but he's glad to see that she was actually having a decent day. Her eyes are void of any puffiness, giving him relief that she wasn't crying her eyes out over the memory of her friend.

"Lucky?" Jason was more than a little confused to find Lucky standing outside his penthouse when he got home.

"Jason, hey, man." Lucky straightens his jacket before taking a deep breath and facing him. "You got a minute?"

"Sure." Jason shakes his head. "Do you want to come inside?"

"No, no. It'll only take a minute." Lucky waves away his offer. "You know what today is, right?"

"I know."

"Can't believe its been a year, man." Lucky sighs, knowing there was no changing what has been. "To think of how my life has changed so drastically since then...I don't know. Its just a hard day."

"Lucky..."

"Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks." Lucky says after a moment. "You helped me a lot this last year...well before then, too...its meant a lot."

"You don't have to thank me."

"I know you're not big on gratitude, but I really do have to." Lucky counters. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that and to invite you to my wedding."

"You're getting married?"

"Yeah...in a couple months." Lucky admits. "It would mean a lot if you came."

"Sure." he shakes his head, accepting the invitation from him. "I'll do my best."

"Thanks." Lucky says before hitting the down button on the elevator. "Really, Jason, thanks for everything."

Granting him one last nod, Jason waits long enough for him to get on the elevator before walking into the penthouse. Tossing the invitation down onto the table, he runs a weary hand down his face before pulling out his travel bag from the closet. As if today wasn't hard enough, he has to face two of the most important people in that young woman's life, making him face everything they had been through since then. As happy as he is that they have both moved on relatively well since the fire, Jason can't help but remember them that day. Telling Emily about her friend dying was the hardest thing he had ever had to do in his short life.

Securing his travel bag in his grip, Jason forces the thoughts to leave him as he prepares for the task set before him, knowing that it was time for him to deal with this threat now before it became to big for them to handle. Checking in with his two lieutenants, Jason makes sure they are on their way to the airstrip before taking an SUV to the airstrip. The memories of that fateful night remain lodged in the back of his mind as he boards the plane with his men, forcing himself to remain current and focused. The threat comes first. The rest will have to wait till his return.

* * *

 _A/N: Thank you for your reviews, follows, and favorites. I've always wondered what would have happened if it were Elizabeth that was gone for that time and returned to Port Charles instead of Lucky. Hope you enjoy and continue to voice your thoughts as the story progresses._


	3. Chapter 3

**Back To Life**

 **~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~**

Running a weary hand down his face, Nikolas tries to focus on the piles of paperwork on his desk, but he still can't get the fight he had with his brother out of his head. It wasn't like he meant to be discourteous toward his brother, far from it actually, but he just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he could go from staying locked up in his apartment, mourning the love he lost, one second and then jump right into getting married the next. He and Elizabeth had been the kind of love that you just don't let go of so easily and yet here his brother is handing out invitations to his wedding on the one year anniversary of the night they lost Elizabeth.

"Nikolas?" Emily's voice reaches him as she's making her into the room, immediately bringing a soft smile to his lips. "You okay?"

"Sure." Nikolas rises to his feet, walking around the desk to wrap her in a warm embrace. "I didn't know you were coming by today."

"How could I not?" Emily counters, pulling away to look him in the eye. "Lucky told me about the blow out you two had."

"I really tried to be supportive, Em, really. Its just..." Nikolas sighs before leaning against the desk. "Of all the days, all the days in the year, he had to choose yesterday to pass out his wedding invitations, really? The wedding's not for another two months...why did it have to be yesterday?"

"I don't know." Emily admits, moving to lean next to him. "Maybe...maybe he wanted to prove that he really has moved on."

"Getting married is pretty evident of that, don't you think?" Nikolas counters. "I just don't see why it had to be the day we lost her."

"Nikolas..."

"Seriously, Em, he hasn't even known her for that long." Nikolas pushes away from the desk in frustration. "For him to jump this quickly into marriage...I just can't accept it. I'm sorry."

"Hey." Emily turns him to face her, framing his face in her hands. "I miss her, too. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of her...of what should have been."

"I miss her, so much." Nikolas voices, accepting the hug she offers, holding her snugly against him. "I don't know how I'm supposed to stand up for my brother when I can't even accept his choices."

"Me either."

"I can't think of this right now. Its too much." Nikolas says, placing a soft kiss upon her forehead before pulling away. "Its just about lunch time. Why don't we go into town and get something to eat at the Grille?"

"Sounds perfect." Emily smiles softly, sliding her hand into Nikolas outstretched hand. "You know, Elizabeth always believed we'd make our way to each other...no matter what either of us said, she always believed we were meant for each other."

"She was smart that way." Nikolas agrees, missing his friend more and more lately. "Come on. The launch should still be docked."

"Everything'll be okay, Nik." Emily voices as they walk out of the house. "I know it."

"Now more than ever, Em, I truly hope you're right."

More than anything, he wants to be happy for his brother, to accept that this is the path his life is supposed to take, but Nikolas just couldn't find the strength to do so. Elizabeth had been a huge part of all their lives, the Four Musketeers, he can't see how his brother could move on so easily while he and Emily still cling to her memory like a lifeline. Shaking the thoughts from his head, Nikolas decides to focus on Emily and leave the past for another day. Whatever may come of them, Nikolas knows that he can survive it as long as he has Emily.

 **~ . ~**

Landing in Puerto Rico, the three guys set up in the closest safe house to the airstrip, not wanting to alert anyone to their arrival. From the looks of things, it seems as if this new organization just may pose a larger threat than they had initially anticipated. Although they know that people like that exist, they just couldn't understand how anyone can take out their anger on women and children. The body count is only rising and Jason wants to level this threat before anymore children are harmed.

While Jason and Johnny set up the safe house to best optimize their time, Francis makes a stealthy trip through town, gathering as much information he can on the organization and where they operate. With Sonny controlling majority of Puerto Rico, there wasn't much room for a new organization to really take root without pulling too much unwanted attention before their strong enough to do so. If they play their cards right, they can squelch this in a matter of a couple weeks, a month at most.

"From what I could tell, they have one main base, where the head of the organization locks himself up in." Francis informs them when he returns. "Talk of the town is that he only comes out to visit his ailing mother. Other than that, he's locked away in that fortress."

Going over what little information Sonny was able to give them and comparing it to the information that Francis was able to gather, the three men start devise a plan to take down the organization once and for all. From the looks of them, they're like a toddler throwing a tantrum, taking down anything that may stand in its way. If that's true and they haven't quite hit the point of 'organized' crime, Jason's certain they'll be able to end it with as few casualties on their part as possible.

 **~ . ~**

Arriving at the Grille, Nikolas swallows back a groan when they run right into Lucky with Leslie Lu, accepting the warm hug from his little sister. No matter what he thinks of Lucky's choices, he will never show any form of disagreement in front of their little sister, she doesn't deserve that.

"Nikolas..." Lucky starts but Nikolas simply holds up a hand to stop him from voicing anything.

"Not now." Nikolas voices firmly, knowing exactly what his brother was about to say and not wanting it to turn into yet another argument on the topic. "Its just about time for Lulu's nap. You should head home."

"We're gonna have to talk about this eventually, man." Lucky pushes further. "You can't run forever."

"Sweet dreams, beautiful." Nikolas voices, kissing his sister's forehead before meeting Lucky's eyes and walking off.

"Will you talk to him, please?" Lucky asks Emily, pleading with her to understand his standing.

"Why yesterday, Lucky?" Emily questions, needing to know. "I know I said I wouldn't question you, but...I need to know."

"I thought...I don't know." Lucky sighs. "I thought if I did it yesterday, it would take some of the pain away...you know, the way I did with Valentines for her."

"Oh, Lucky." Emily sighs, shaking her head. "I'll try to talk to him, but Nikolas is still hurting. We both are."

"You think I'm not?" Lucky counters. "I was in love with her. She was my life."

"I know that, but you have to see it from our side.." Emily voices honestly. " As much as I understand your reasons, you handing out invitations to your wedding was like a slap in our faces...a slap in the face of her memory."

"Nikolas was right. I should get Leslie Lu home." Lucky mutters, picking up his sister into his arms. "I'll just see you later."

Watching him walk off, Emily felt bad for deflating his hope, but she had to be honest with him. They have been friends for far too long for her to lie to him now. Regardless of how she feels about the whole situation, she knows she will be at that wedding with a smile on her face, that's just what friends do, but she will not look in the face and pretend to be happy with his choices. Though she understands his reason for doing so, passing out his wedding invitations that day of all days was just uncalled for.

"Still think everything's going to be okay?" Nikolas dares to ask her when she takes her seat across from him.

"After that..." Emily sighs, shaking her head. "I can only hope and pray it will be."

* * *

 **A/N: Bless all your hearts. Your reviews and messages have been heard. Your favorites and likes have also been appreciated. Elizabeth finally makes her appearance again in the next chapter and I can't wait. Yay!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Back To Life**

 **~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~**

Nearly a month into their stint in Puerto Rico, Jason couldn't wait to put an end to this entire situation and hop on the first flight back to Port Charles. As much as he wants to end this threat, the crave for his motorcycle is starting to get to him, swearing he'll take an entire weekend once he gets back home to just ride his bike, no interruptions of any kind.

They're getting closer and closer to shutting down this organization for good, but they still had a good amount of factions to demolish before they take on the main base. He's not too worried about it though. After taking down their main source of income, it won't be long before the lower levels start to disband from the organization. Once that starts to happen, they'll only have the main workers to worry about when they finally take on the main base.

"Jason." Johnny's voice tears through his thoughts. "You gotta see this."

Moving to take his place in front of the monitor, Jason stares at the monitor with apt curiosity, wondering what was going on down at the main base. Since they started actively attacking the organization, those people have had the base locked up tight, only those directly associated with the main circle being allowed access to the base. For them to let in two vans, something definitely has to be going down and Jason wasn't sure he found much relief in that.

"You think they'll move the boss?" Johnny dares to ask. "He's been locked up tight since last week. Maybe they're finally spooked enough?"

"No. That's not it." Jason shakes his head. "This looks more like a delivery than a pick up."

"Must be some kind of delivery." Johnny points out. "They turned away the last food delivery at the gate."

"Whatever it is, its obviously important enough to break lock down." Jason says simply, rising to his feet. "Call Francis. See if he's got a rough idea on what the delivery is."

"On it."

As he waits for word back form Francis, he tries to think of a reason that he or Sonny would break protocol, but can't think of any kind of delivery that would ever force their hand like this. Shaking his head, Jason decides to wait for word before giving it much more thought, knowing he couldn't predict the mindset of these people even if he tried. The only bright side to them making a show of their efforts to end the organization is that there hasn't been any blood shed since they started. At least no innocent blood shed, anyway.

 **~ . ~**

Laying completely still on the gurney, a blurry drugged up haze blankets her eyes as she awaits her next destination, knowing she was being transported yet again to an undisclosed location. It was always the same when she became too much.

She couldn't very well say how long she has been a prisoner or how many places she's been shuffled to since being taken, but she can say that each and every time they made the mistake of not giving her the right dose she has done whatever she could to try and escape.

The last time she tried to escape, she swears she would have gotten away had they not been on a yacht in the middle of the freaking ocean. She had nearly gotten the life raft unhooked when they caught up with her. Unfortunately for them, they lost one of their guards and she injured three more before they finally got her under control.

Wherever they are transporting her to this time, she knows for damn certain she is on solid ground and that made her ever active brain start on her latest escape plan. For a while, she had held out the belief that someone would find her, whether it be Lucky and the Spencers or the cops, anyone, but then chunks of time passed and she realized that she would have to be her own savior. Since then she has done anything and everything to try to get away. Nothing else matters past that. Nothing.

Slowly the drugs they dosed her with is starting to wear off, their voices and words starting to become clearer and clearer with each passing second. Soon she will have her senses back enough to start putting a fairly plausible plan together. From what they're saying, the place she's being taken to is relatively guarded, obviously enough to make them feel safe about her being there.

If she's hearing them right, it seems as if their plan is finally coming to a close, which only made her wonder how much longer they will keep her captive and, more importantly, what they will do with her once it does. She wants to believe that they would have killed her already if that's what they wanted to do, but these people are psychotic and anything is pretty much possible.

 **~ . ~**

Francis was nearly shell shocked as he watched a couple men unloading a woman from the delivery van. From the looks of her, it was quite obvious that she was drugged up and restrained, sending a sick feeling straight to his stomach. His natural instinct, almost primal, is to jump to this woman's defense and rescue her from these demented men, but he had to choke that back and do his job. Snapping more than a few pictures, Francis stores his camera, making a sign of the cross along with a small prayer, before heading back to the safe house.

The moment he stepped foot inside the room, Francis had both men's attention, obviously they were eager to find out what had the organization's boss breaking protocol. Plugging the camera into the computer, Francis brings up the images on the computer, knowing that they had to see it for themselves to believe it. Johnny was close to losing the contents of his stomach when he noticed exactly what lay atop the gurney the men were wheeling into the base.

"She has to mean something, right?" Johnny questions the other two. "If they broke protocol to bring her, she has to mean something to them."

"Jason?" Francis questions when he moves Johnny out of the way to sit in front of the computer, blowing up the image of the woman. "What is it?"

"It can't be." Jason voices, staring at the image on the screen. "She's dead."

"You know her?" Francis questions, surprised by that tidbit. "Who is she?"

"Elizabeth Webber." Jason says, staring at the image for a moment longer before rising to his feet, his infamous blank mask upon his face. "Get whatever we need to take that place down. We're hitting them tonight."

"Jason..." Francis starts to say before falling silent.

"Tonight." Jason snaps, snatching his jacket from the chair he tossed it on. "I'll be out back."

Seeing her face on the computer screen had sent a strange feeling surging through him, a feeling he hasn't felt in such a long time, an almost primal need to protect. The last time he had felt that feeling was when Michael had been kidnapped by Tony and they had to find someway to get to him, to save him. Getting outside, Jason had to take a moment to catch his breath, to focus, knowing that it all rested on his shoulders to get them in and out of that place in one piece.

It has been an entire year since she was presumed dead, a year held captive against her will with dangerous people, one can only guess what she has been through since she was taken. From the looks of the image, she was being drugged to make transport easier, which made him question how often that has actually happened since she was kidnapped. The more he thought of her and what she must have gone through, the angrier Jason got and it wasn't doing him any good in the focusing department.

Then, in the height of his anger, a single thought penetrated his rage, the thought of his sister. Emily has mourned for this girl for an entire year, the struggles she had faced in order to cope with the sudden loss of someone she loved dearly, and that helped him to regain the focus he so desperately needed. It helped him remember what matters most and that's saving Elizabeth and returning her to the life that was so drastically snatched away from her.

Placing a call to Sonny, updating him on the situation and assuring him that he will do whatever it takes to save Elizabeth and bring her back to where she belongs, Jason takes a moment to appreciate the fact that she was still alive. To appreciate that, at the end of the day, she wasn't lost to death's hand. Hearing the door open a short while later, Jason shakes his head and refocuses on the task at hand, destroying the organization and saving Elizabeth.

"It's set." Johnny informs him. "We're good to go when you are."

"I'm set." Jason states. "Lets go."


	5. Chapter 5

**Back To Life**

 **~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~**

Remaining completely still, not wanting to alert them to her consciousness, Elizabeth does her best to listen in on the conversation taking place near the doorway of the room she's being held in. Directing her entire focus to them, she can hear them talking about her, obviously informing her new wardens of just how much trouble she could truly be, inquiring if they were ready for anything that may come their way. Keep their guards up, her captors warn sternly, assuring them that they will return for her in one month's time, at which time their debt will be settled.

Hiding a slight smirk from her lips, Elizabeth is thankful to hear that her next sedative injection is not for another hour, giving her enough clarity to make her next attempt to escape. According to her captors, she should be completely unconscious until then, confident in the injection they had given her when they had set off from their last location. With all the injections she has suffered through, it seems as if her body has finally gained a tolerance for it and that will undoubtedly work to her advantage.

With the thump of the door shutting behind them, she takes a moment, waiting to be certain that they wouldn't come back in within the next few minutes before she slides off the gurney. There was no time to wait where her escape is concerned. Having only an hour to come up with a way out of a place she's never been before, Elizabeth knows that time is of the essence and she couldn't afford to wait around overthinking everything. She was about to peek out into the hall when she heard the sound of gunfire reach her ears, her hand mere inches from the handle, uncertain of her next move and praying this wasn't the end of her.

~ . ~

They have only made it halfway through the base and they have already begun to wear thin, gashes found over majority of their upper body, Jason taking a bullet to his right shoulder, but refusing to back down. Regardless of how beat up they appear, they're still standing, which is more than could be said for their targets, giving them the incentive to keep pushing forward.

He will not stop until she is out of this place and back where she belongs. Signalling his men down different halls, Jason continues down the straight path, checking every room for where they could be holding her. All but ignoring the pain surging through him, his blood soaking up the left side of his shirt, making his anger grow further as he continues down the halls, shooting anyone that gets in his path.

~ . ~

Taking in a deep steady breath, she grabs the closest thing to her, something she can use as a weapon, before she yanks open the door and makes her way out into the hall. Slowly she makes her way down one hallway, peeking around the corner, spotting a guard making his way down the hallway towards the sound of the gunfire. Glancing down at the metal lamp in her hand, she curses the place for not having anything more handy laying around before she takes another deep breath and swings it just in time to collide with the man running down the hall.

Not giving the man any time to recover, she jumps atop of him, bashing him over and over again in the face with the lamp. Her anger raging within her as she slams the lamp into him again and again until his body goes limp. Rising to her feet, she drops the bloody lamp down onto the ground before snatching his gun from his holster and continuing on the down the hallway, away from the sound of gunfire. She was getting closer and closer to the exit when she spots a man down the hall, knowing she couldn't very well take him on, Elizabeth fires off a couple rounds before heading down another hallway, desperate to be free.

~ . ~

Johnny had been making his way down the halls, desperate to find this girl and get the hell up out of there, swearing to the heavens that he wasn't about to die today. He had made his way down yet another hall when she came into view, not at all the victim he had been picturing in his mind when he had set out to find her, but finding that he held more respect for the woman now.

That was, of course, until she started to shoot at him. Obviously, given the circumstances, he doesn't blame her, but damn her for forcing him to take cover dammit. Here he is getting all torn up trying to save her and then she goes shooting at him. Fortunately for them both, he has a good amount of control over his reflexes and restrains from shooting back at her. Jumping back to his feet, he calls Jason to let him know that he's hot on her tail before taking off after her again, praying that she doesn't end up killing him in the process.

~ . ~

Getting the call from Johnny, he booked it down the hall, meeting up with him and Francis just near the center of the base. Devising a strategy to corner her and get her to understand they weren't her enemies, Jason sends Johnny down after her, knowing that she already perceives him as a threat and that should distract her long enough for him and Francis to come up from behind. Tracking her down, the three men split up, watching as she skillfully takes out two men before coming face to face with Johnny.

Clearly out of bullets, Johnny gains a sense of comfort in it, but quickly realizes that she's not about to just give up now. Elizabeth taps the gun against her leg three times before cocking back her arm and literally throwing the gun at Johnny's head, who was not at all ready for her to do so. Fazed by the blow to his head, he stumbles back, giving Elizabeth the opening to jump him, knocking him clear off his feet. If Jason and Francis hadn't reacted quickly, Elizabeth would have snapped Johnny's neck within moments.

Francis grabbed her from behind, yanking her clear off her feet, but she still wasn't about to give up that easily. Before he knew it, Elizabeth brought her head forward before swiftly slamming it back against Francis's face, fazing him enough to loosen his grip on her and allowing her to drop back down to her feet. Clearly attacking her wasn't going to give them any advantage over her, so, Jason does the next best thing and tries to talk her down.

"Elizabeth. Stop." Jason voices, one hand held up while the other helps Johnny back to his feet. "We're not here to hurt you."

"Right." she snaps back. "Like that's the first time I've heard that one! I'm not falling for that again!"

"I don't know if you remember me, but we met at the nurses' ball." Jason's voice remains calm, slowly inching his way to her. "You're best friends with my sister Emily Quartermaine."

"Em?"

"Yeah. I'm Jason." Jason holds up the gun before placing it behind his back and holding up both his hands, a gesture to prove to her that he's of no threat to her. "Lucky used to work for me at my bike shop. Remember?"

"I...I remember." Elizabeth looks him over before looking at the other two men and back to Jason. "Why are you here?"

"To save you." Jason says honestly, holding out his hands to her, palms up, the pain in his shoulder all but forgotten. "Will you let me?"

"After all this time..." she mutters, still uncertain of him and his motives.

"I know its been a long time and I know how hard it must be to trust me right now, but I only want to help you." Jason says, inching closer and closer. "Your life was taken from you...let me help give it back to you."

She stares into his eyes for a long moment, trying to decide just how much trust she should really place in him, before she finally takes a deep breath and shakes her head. Together, the four of them make it out of the base before Francis detonates the bomb, bringing the entire building down within moments.

Driving as fast as they can, they make it to the safe house in record time, all thankful to finally be done with this assignment and that place. Johnny keeps his distance from Elizabeth, having had enough of the woman for now, joined by Francis on the terrace for a well deserved cold bottle of beer.

"You okay?" Jason questions her as she stands by the window, arms wrapped around herself.

"No." she admits before turning to walk over to him, taking the needle from his hand. "Here. Let me."

"You don't have to."

"I know." she says simply. "I want to."

"They don't blame you, you know." Jason finds himself voicing, watching as she scrunches up her eyebrows at his words. "They really don't."

"I almost killed both of them." Elizabeth states firmly. "They tried to save me and I almost killed them."

"Hey." Jason forces her to look at him. "You were trying to survive."

"Its no excuse." Elizabeth says plainly, cutting the thread before quickly bandaging his wound. "There. It should heal just fine."

"Thanks."

"Sure." she replies, tossing the soiled gauze and needle into the waste bin before walking over to stand by the window, arms wrapped around her once again. "So many times I've tried to escape...so many times..."

"Not many people would." Jason voices, moving to stand behind her. "Not many people would fight as hard as you did to escape."

"I came close so many times." Elizabeth voices, tears frozen in her eyes. "Freedom merely inches from my grasp..."

"You're free now." Jason replies firmly. "I know its hard, but try and let it be enough for today."

"Jason..."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." she voices, turning to look at him, a half smile on her face. "For saving me."

"I'm sure you would have found a way on your own."

"Still." she counters, leaning up to place a soft kiss upon his cheek. "Thanks."

"I'm gonna make some dinner." Jason says after clearing his throat. "Why don't you go freshen up? You're welcome to use whatever clothes I have."

"Yeah. Okay." she replies after a moment. "Thanks."

Watching her walk off to his room, Jason could see that this last year has taken its toll on her in a vicious way, her eyes blank while her words hold no light, unlike the girl she had been before she was presumed dead. Taking a moment to put himself back together, Jason takes a deep breath before walking off to the kitchen to make dinner, knowing she would undoubtedly need a decent meal after the hell she had lived through. Whatever happened over this last year, he knows for certain that the road back will be far from easy, of that much is certain.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you all for your continued support, I truly hope this chapter meets with your expectations and I can't wait to write the next one. Take care and tons of hugs!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Back To Life**

 **~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~**

Dinner on the table, Jason calls the two men back inside, needing to speak to them before Elizabeth comes back out from his room. He knows that what happened wasn't at all what they were expecting, but none of them could blame her for what she did. He has handled a lot of situations, more than he's proud of, where a woman is held captive and not one of them ever reacted the way Elizabeth had. For her to put in that effort to save herself made Jason respect her that much more.

"She tried to kill me." Johnny reiterates his previous complaint. "No offence, but no one gets more than one chance to almost kill me."

"You really think the girl's gonna try to kill you over dinner?" Francis blurts out before Jason could say anything. "Really?"

"Hey, I get it, she was trying to survive, but its not like we actually know her." Johnny counters. "She could damn well kill us all in our sleep."

"She's not going to kill us in our sleep." Jason voices, though he feels absolutely stupid for having to actually say that out loud. "But if you're that afraid of Elizabeth, why don't you sleep outside in the SUV tonight?"

"Afraid? I ain't afraid. Who said anything about being afraid?" Johnny scoffs at the thought. "Whatever. If she does end up killing you in your sleep, don't blame it on me."

"Dinner's set." Jason says as he turns his back on them. "That is if you can keep yourself from getting your panties in a bunch long enough to have dinner."

"She kills a couple guys twice her size, nearly kills us in the process, and I'm crazy for being wary of the woman." Johnny throws his hands up in disbelief. "Yeah. That makes all the sense in the world."

"She was kidnapped and held captive for a year." Francis voices as Jason makes his way back to the dining room. "There's absolutely no telling what she's been through all this time. Don't you think you can cut her some slack, huh? Like you said, she was just trying to stay alive. Not even you can fault her for that."

"Fine, fine. I get it." Johnny sighs, shaking his head. "But if she does end up killing me, just know I'll come back to haunt your ass."

"Whatever you say, kid." Francis chuckles. "Come on, lets get some grub."

As they head out of the living room, Elizabeth steps out of the bedroom, watching as they walk through the door to the dining room. She knows she can't blame Johnny for thinking of her in that light, but it still didn't stop it from hurting her on some level. She knows the kind of monster she had been as she was trying to escape, but she didn't have any choice. In order to survive, she couldn't give up the fight to escape, desperately needing to believe that she could somehow find her way back to her life again. It was all she had.

~ . ~

It was late into the night when the phone snaps her out of a deep slumber. Letting out a sharp groan, she tosses her fiance's arm from her body before snatching her cellphone from the side table and making her way out to the living room. Since they announced their engagement, she and Lucky have received nothing but snide remarks and disapproval. She knows that this was part of the plan, that everything was going exactly to plan, but she couldn't help feeling bad for her fiance. He doesn't deserve this, any of this, but it was too late to back down now.

"Yes?" she answered quickly, realizing who was on the other end of the line and how dangerous it is to keep her waiting.

"Child, must I remind you of the proper way to answer a call?" her grandmother voiced icily. "Proper mannerisms are the only thing separating you from the vile miscreants this world has to offer."

"Here I thought it was the large amount of money sitting in offshore accounts." she counters swiftly.

"If I must remind you of your need to sass once more, you will find yourself right beside your mother." her grandmother states, successfully silencing any retort that may have been resting upon her tongue. "Understood?"

"Understood, Grandmother." she replies respectfully. "How may I be of service?"

"Better." the elder woman voices appreciatively before voicing the reason for her call. "Things have taken an unexpected turn. Your wedding needs to be completed by sunset tomorrow."

"Getting him to ask me to marry him was nearly impossible!" she blurts out in disbelief. "How do you propose I convince him to get married by then?"

"You are my granddaughter." her grandmother voices firmly. "Get it done."

Before she could voice any further concern over the situation at hand, the line goes dead, causing a frustrated groan to escape her lips as she slams her cellphone down onto the table. Every single time she believes that the end of this fiasco is near, her grandmother pulls the rug out from under her and causes her entire life to be dismantled. How is she supposed to move up the wedding to the next day without raising anymore suspicions than their engagement has already caused?

~ . ~

She wasn't sure why, maybe it was because he risked his life to save her and she nearly killed him or what, but Elizabeth needed Johnny to understand her. Once dinner was over, she stops him from leaving to his room, needing get it all off her chest before they all call it a night. He was wary of her, rightfully so, but he obliged her regardless.

"You're not gonna kill me are you?" Johnny questions as they step out onto the patio.

"No." Elizabeth replies. "I am sorry about that, you know? I didn't know you were there to save me."

"Yeah. I know." Johnny assures. "I'll get over it. I will. Its just not every day someone your size gets the jump on me."

"I'd like to explain..."

"You don't have to." Johnny sighs. "Really. I get it."

"I don't think you do." Elizabeth counters. "For a long time after I was taken, I had truly believed someone would come looking for me, that I would be saved. Days turned to weeks and weeks into months before finally I realized that I would have to save myself. The longer I was trapped there, the stronger that belief became, and that's the mindset I was in when you saw me in that hall. The only thing I cared about was my freedom. That's all that mattered."

"I can't imagine what that must have been like."

"It wasn't easy. Trust me." Elizabeth sighs before shaking her head. "I just wanted to explain my side and let you know just how sorry I am. If I had known..."

"Its okay." Johnny voices, a slight smile on his face. "Really...we're okay. Just remind me to never get on your bad side again and we'll be even."

"Deal." she replies with a soft smile, walking into the house when he pulls the door open for her. "Goodnight, Johnny."

"Goodnight."

"You okay?" Jason asks her when she gets to him.

"Yeah." she assures. "I'm just tired."

"You can sleep in my room tonight." he voices. "If you want."

"Sure." she replies simply. "Okay."

It didn't take Elizabeth long before she fell into a deep slumber, the day's events having taken its toll, but Jason just couldn't seem to get to sleep. Sitting up on the pullout bed, he just couldn't help watching over her as she slept. Francis's words remain frozen in his thoughts, realizing just how right he had been, knowing there was truly no way to know just what she had been through over this last year. Clearly the people that took her hadn't been too moral, its anyone's guess the kind of hell she must have been put through.

He wasn't sure when, but sometime during the night he had fallen asleep only to wake up to the sound of Elizabeth tossing and turning on the bed. From the look of it, she was having a nightmare, a vicious one at that, so, not knowing what else to do, he sits down beside her to try to wake her up. As soon as she regained consciousness, however, she grabbed Jason by the wrist and practically slammed him onto the bed as she towered over him, her other hand at his throat.

"Elizabeth, its okay." he voices calmly. "Its Jason."

"Jason?" she voices confusedly.

"Jason." he confirms. "Emily's brother."

"I...I remember." she voices once more, releasing her grip on his throat. "I'm sorry. I just forgot for a moment..."

"Its okay." he assures her as she moves off of him to sit on the edge of the bed, her head in her hands. "If its anyone's fault, its mine. I shouldn't have startled you."

"Stop doing that." Elizabeth sighs, rising to her feet to stand by the window. "Stop making excuses for me."

"Hey, look at me." Jason says as he stands behind her, waiting long enough for her to turn around and look at him. "Its not excuses. You've been through a lot. Stop beating yourself up for things you have no control over."

"I guess." she replies simply before reaching up to touch his neck with the tips of her fingers. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No. You didn't." he assures her. "Its really okay."

"What about your shoulder?" she whispers, dropping her hand to her side.

"I'm fine." he says firmly. "You didn't hurt me."

"Okay."

"Do you think you're ready to head back to Port Charles?" Jason questions as she sits back down on the bed.

"Honestly? No." she shakes her head. "After what just happened...I just need some time...a day to get my head together."

"Okay." he agrees. "The guys have to head back today, but I'll stay with you and we can head back to town when you're ready. No rush."

"Are you sure?" Elizabeth questions him, not wanting to impose anymore than she already has.

"I'm sure." Jason says firmly. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Sure." she replies softly. "Sounds good."

"Okay." he smiles slightly. "Freshen up and I'll go put something together."

"Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think..." she voices, tapping her fingers against her leg nervously. "I don't know...do you think you could tell me about home...about the things that have changed?"

"You sure you're ready for that?"

"No." she answers honestly. "But I have to face it sooner or later."

"After breakfast then." he agrees. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

"Okay."

Watching him walk out of the room, Elizabeth wasn't at all certain of whether or not she actually wanted to know what has happened back home, knowing that life didn't just stop while she was gone. Her first instinct is to ask about Lucky, about how he has been, but she's equally terrified of the answer. In a town like Port Charles, literally anything can happen and she just wasn't sure she was ready to find out just what happened to her first love.

Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she grabs the towel from the closet and walks into the shower, hoping to wash away the remnants of her nightmare, begging herself to accept that she was no longer trapped in that hell hole, that she's safe.

~ . ~

Lucky wanted to believe that, given time, Nikolas and Emily would come around and support his marriage, but he knew better than to hold out hope for that. They are both stuck on Elizabeth and he couldn't blame them for that. For a long time, he had been stuck on her, refusing to move on, but then life pushed him forward and there was just no looking back. If he had allowed himself to wallow, he doubts he'd still be there, the pain and loss would have undoubtedly drowned him by then. As difficult as it is, he knows his fiancee's right and, for that, he'll give her what she wants. With all the stigma hanging over their engagement, having a private wedding just seemed best for all involved. He just hopes that somewhere down the line both Nikolas and Emily will grow to support him again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Back To Life**

 **~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~**

Staring his mother in the eye, Nikolas couldn't believe that this was his reality, that after all they have been through his brother is just going to up and get married just like that. His mother pleads with him to give his brother's fiancee a chance, to open his mind and heart to the possibility that this really is it for Lucky and that they are good for each other. She pleads with him to rethink his standing and attend the wedding at the courthouse, to walk into that room with her and stand by his brother's side like any good brother should do.

"Lucky loved Elizabeth, that's not in question." Laura, his mother voices, her last-ditch effort to get him to see reason. "Just like we all know that Elizabeth loved Lucky. So, I ask you, is this what she would want? Honestly, Nikolas, is this really what she would want for the both of you?"

"I don't know what Elizabeth would want because she's not here to tell me." Nikolas says firmly. "I understand where you're coming from, but I can't do what you're asking. I just can't."

"Everything okay in here?" Emily voices as she walks into the room. "Alfred said it was okay to come in."

"Its fine." Nikolas assures, walking over to kiss her hello. "We've said all that had to be said."

"Lucky's getting married at noon." Laura divulges. "Please, talk some sense into my son and convince him that he needs to be there. I have to go help Lucky get ready."

"Lucky's getting married at noon?" Emily looks at Nikolas in disbelief once Laura leaves. "Is she serious?"

"She is." Nikolas says plainly as he walks over to pour them a glass of water. "She came over with the sole purpose of getting me to attend the wedding."

"Why...how?" Emily tries to wrap her head around it, but she just can't. "How did this happen? I thought the wedding was still a month out."

"It was." Nikolas replies with a shake of his head. "Apparently my new sister-in-law decided that getting married today is what's best for everyone."

"Best for who?"

"Only she knows." he sighs, running one hand down his face. "Any thoughts?"

"I know how tough this is going to be...lord knows I don't want to deal with this today.."

"But..."

"But your mom's right. Its Lucky." Emily says, walking over to stand in front of him. "At the end of the day, he's your brother, there's no getting around that. If this is the path he's chosen for his life, we have to at least show up and tell him that we're here no matter what."

"I'm not sitting through that wedding."

"You don't have to." Emily assures. "But we do have to see him today. We can't let him go into his marriage thinking we won't be there when he needs us."

"You're right, I know you're right." Nikolas shakes his head. "Doesn't make this any easier."

"I'll be with you the whole time." Emily smiles softly. "Promise."

His heart ached for the future that they should have had, the future that included all four of them, but he knows that punishing Lucky for it won't bring her back. Nothing will bring Elizabeth or the future they all should have had together back. So, regardless of his standing, Nikolas takes a deep breath and follows his girlfriend out of the house and down to the docks to wait for the launch. He'll do as Emily suggests, he'll show up and he'll tell his brother that he'll always have his back, but standing by his side during the wedding just isn't an option.

~ . ~

Jason informed the guys of the plans for the day before heading into the kitchen to get started on breakfast. Admittedly, he would have preferred heading back to town now because of all the things that are consistently changing, knowing that the last thing that Elizabeth needs at this point is for more things to change, but she's not ready and he wasn't about to force her hand. If she's not ready to head back then they'll stay there until she is. Sonny has tasked him with Elizabeth's safety and nothing else, something he was thankful for because there's really no telling if the people that took her will find a way to get at her if he were to walk away now.

"Elizabeth?" he voices carefully as he walks back into his room, finding her in front of the mirror. "You okay?"

"No." she whispers, tears frozen in her eyes as she clears her throat before turning to face him. "Breakfast ready?"

"Yeah." he replies, moving to stand in front of her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." she says with a shake of her head. "I want breakfast...if that's okay."

"Sure." he replies as he steps aside. "Everything's set up in the dining area."

Watching her walk past him and out of the bedroom, he lets out a low sigh, knowing that she was doing her best to keep herself together, but her reserve was slowly crumbling down around her. Seeing her stare into the mirror earlier, almost as if she were trying to recognize the person staring back at her, Jason can only hope that she finds a way to face it soon before it ends up consuming her. His every instinct is to push her, to help her break past this established defense she has created for herself, but he's in no position to do so and he fears that it just might do more harm than good at this point if he did.

~ . ~

Nikolas stood beside Emily, gripping her hand firmly in his, as he stands before his brother. Reminding himself that life will always move on, regardless of you moving on with it or not, Nikolas puts his best foot forward in congratulating his brother on his nuptials, but apologizing for not being able to do as he wishes by standing beside him during the ceremony.

He gets that moving on was hard for Lucky, that he has finally chosen to move past her, that's his right. Lucky just has to understand that he's not there yet. He's not ready to move past losing one of his closest friends. Especially when she didn't have to die. Her death wasn't supposed to happen. Shaking the thought from his head he places a slight smile on his face.

"We're here for you no matter what." Nikolas voices firmly. "If you need us we'll be there."

"Yeah." Lucky shakes his head. "Thanks."

"We really hope you can understand why we can't be here." Emily says softly. "Its not because of you..."

"I get it." Lucky says simply. "Really. I get it."

"I love you, Lucky." Emily says as she wraps him in a warm embrace. "I hope this day is everything you could have hoped for."

"Thanks, Em." Lucky replies as he hugs her tightly. "I love you, too."

"We'll see you soon." Nikolas says once Emily's hand is firmly in his again. "I truly hope this is the right thing for you."

"Nikolas?" Laura voices with glee. "You made it. I promise you, this is the right..."

"We're not staying." Nikolas cuts his mother off. "We just came to see Lucky before his wedding."

"What do you mean you're not staying?" Laura looks at him in disbelief. "You're already here, why can't you just stay?"

"Its okay, mom." Lucky voices, moving to stand by his mom. "I told them they could go."

"But Lucky, its your wedding day." Laura says before turning to Nikolas. "He's your brother..."

"Mom, really its fine." Lucky says firmly before Nikolas could respond. "Go on guys, I'll see you later."

Keeping Emily close to his side, Nikolas grants his brother a single nod before walking out of the room and back to their car. He knows his mother can't understand why he isn't attending his brother's wedding and there's really no way to get her to understand, she didn't love Elizabeth the way they did. Elizabeth didn't mean as much to his mother as she did to the four of them, so, of course she can't understand.

Maybe his mother's right and maybe Elizabeth would be okay with Lucky getting married and moving on, but he isn't. Especially not with how quickly this wedding is taking place. Lucky grieved for all of six months before he started dating again. His fiancee not even the first date he has gone on. It wasn't until maybe the sixth girl that he met this girl and that was less than five months ago. For them to get married this quickly, Nikolas just can't comprehend it nor can he support it.

~ . ~

While Jason's clearing the dishes from breakfast, Elizabeth stands in front of the mirror, simply staring at herself. No matter how many times she has told herself that she's free of them, that she has escaped, the reality has yet to sink in. Many, many times, while she was drugged out of her mind, Elizabeth had dreamed of her escape and every time she eased out of her drugged state she found that she was still trapped. Still stuck with those people that did things to her she couldn't even put into words.

"Elizabeth?" Jason voices from the doorway, not wanting to startle her again.

"Yeah?" she voices plainly, still staring at herself in the mirror.

"You sure you're ready to hear about home?"

"I'm sure." she replies before turning away from the mirror and meeting his eyes. "I'm sure."

Bracing herself for what she was about to hear, Elizabeth moves to sit down on the couch, hugging her legs to her chest as he sits down across from her. She's thankful to hear that her grandmother is still alive, having feared the worst while she was still being held captive, knowing that anything could happen in that small town.

Emily and Nikolas being together didn't surprise her in the least, she always knew that they'd get together sooner or later, it was only a matter of when. Then Lucky's reality slipped from Jason's lips and she could literally feel her insides twist and turn, a stabbing pain shooting through her as she stared at Jason. Tears literally frozen in her eyes.

"Elizabeth..."

"I'm fine." she says through tight lips. "Life didn't just stop when I supposedly died. He moved on. I'm fine."

"Elizabeth."

"I mean, what did I honestly expect would happen, hmm?" she questions as she rises to her feet. "Did I honestly expect for him to love me too much to move on? As far as everyone was concerned I was dead. I was dead and they all moved on! I was living through hell and they all moved on!"

He didn't say her name again this time. Instead, Jason walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her snugly against him as the tears finally fell from her eyes, her cries ringing through the air as he held her close to his body, lending her whatever strength he possessed.

As he held her, Jason could feel a stabbing pain shoot through his heart, hearing her break down in his arms forces him to fight off tears of his own. None of what she has had to live through is fair in any way, nothing she has expected of her life back home is wrong, and he just wishes he could fix it for her, all of it.

Knowing there wasn't anything more he could really do for her, Jason holds her close as a year of pent up emotions come barreling out of her, refusing to let her go for anything. He has the men looking into her kidnapping, as well as setting up the guest room in his penthouse for when they get back, leaving his only focus to be on Elizabeth.

Make no mistake, once he gets back to Port Charles, the people that are responsible for doing this to her will have no place on this Earth to hide. No matter where they run, no matter what they do to escape, Jason will find them and he will have them begging to be put out of their misery before he finally takes their lives. That's a promise.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you all for your reviews and PMs. I truly appreciate all of it. Can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter. Till next time, tons of hugs to you all!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Back To Life**

 **~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~**

Waking up in the middle of the night, Elizabeth glances over at a sleeping Jason, unable to fathom how it was him, of all people, that found his way to her. Wrapping the blanket around her, she stands by the window, staring up at the moon. Its been such a long time since she's seen the moon through clear eyes and she can't explain just how beautiful it looked to her in that moment. Even with all the things that have changed in her life, all the ways that those she cared so deeply for has changed, the moon and the stars remain just as she remembers it.

Its been a long hard week since Francis and Johnny left them to return to Port Charles, her body readjusting to life without injections. There were a couple times she believed Jason would just leave her there, where she believed that she would prove too much for him to handle, after all he owed her nothing, yet there he remained. He bundled her up when her body would start freezing out of nowhere. He'd help her eat even when her body was too weak to do so. Everything she needed, he did and much more. She couldn't describe the kind of person he must be to have done all this for her.

"Elizabeth?" he voices groggily just before he turns the light on. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm okay." she says softly, tightening the blanket around her. "Just couldn't get warm enough. Thought if I got up and moved around a bit..."

"Did it help?"

"Not really." she admits. "But its not as bad as usual."

"Come on." he says as he rises to his feet. "I'll make you some hot cocoa. That usually helps."

And, of course, there's the hot chocolates. When the nights are rough, he makes a cup of hot chocolate with just the right amount of marshmallows and a pinch of cinnamon atop the whipped cream. As they sit down with their choice of beverages, his being coffee while hers is the hot cocoa, Elizabeth takes a moment to really look at him. As hard as it will be for her, she knows that its time, having kept him from his life for long enough. Through all their long nights awake, she began to realize that she was keeping him from home, from his life, from whatever awaits him back in Port Charles.

"Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm ready." she says carefully. "To go home."

"You sure?" he questions, watching her response as she cradles the hot cocoa in her hands.

"I think so." she replies. "Its been a week and I'm sure Sonny misses you..."

"Don't make this about me." Jason counters. "Sonny can handle not having me around. So can everyone else. If you're going to choose to go back, make it about you. Are you ready to go back?"

"I'm ready." Elizabeth says firmly, knowing there was no point in hiding there any longer. "Its time for me to go home."

"Good." he smiles slightly. "Because your Gram has been calling Sonny non-stop since he told her you were alive. She can't wait to see you."

"I didn't know you told anyone."

"Just your Gram." Jason assures. "We can deal with bringing you back to life for the rest of the town when we get back home. If you're really ready, I can have the plane fueled and ready to leave by morning."

"I'm ready." Elizabeth assures. "I'm actually starting to miss Francis and Johnny."

"Okay. I'll make the arrangements." Jason says after finishing the rest of his coffee. "We can talk specifics once we take off."

"Okay." she replies. "You said something about living in a safe house when I get back to town..."

"That's an option, yes." Jason admits. "I've made up a room in my penthouse for you, as well...like I said, you can think about it and we'll talk more on the plane ride home."

Finishing up the last of her cocoa, she watches as Jason washes out the cups before walking back to the room with her and wishing her a good night's sleep. As she went to bed, Jason stayed up making the final arrangements for the flight home in the morning. He had to admit that he hadn't seen it coming. He thought she'd take at least another week before deciding to go back home. As he makes the arrangements, he realizes that now is as good a time as any. He just hopes she's able to handle the fact that Lucky's officially married now and the rest of the town's reaction to her being alive.

~ . ~

Watching the elder lady pacing back and forth in his penthouse, Sonny couldn't help the slight smile on his face, realizing just how much his life has changed since Jason and the guys found Elizabeth in Puerto Rico. When people like Audrey Hardy start regarding you in a brighter light, regardless of your career, you know you've done something right. Normally, the elder woman wouldn't be caught dead in his home and now she paces eagerly as they await her granddaughter's return.

Thankfully, for both their sake, Jason called ahead and told him they'd be there soon. Their plane had just landed and Johnny was already at the airport waiting for them when they arrived. With any luck, there won't be much of any traffic at this time of the morning and they'll get there a lot sooner than either of them anticipate. It wasn't until the door of his penthouse opened up and Jason stepped aside, producing the girl that had been believed to be long dead. The elder woman stopped frozen in her tracks as tears welled in her eyes at the sight of her granddaughter, alive and well.

"Gram." Elizabeth whispered, causing the elder woman to let out the breath she had been holding the moment Elizabeth came into view.

"Elizabeth." her Gram replied as the tears fell from her eyes. "Its true. You're alive."

"I am." she says softly as her Gram came closer, close enough to wrap her arms around her, a chance she took without hesitation. "I'm here."

"Its really you." Gram whispered as she shut her eyes and held her tightly. "The Lord has answered my prayers."

"Mine, too." Elizabeth replies, glancing at Jason, who moved to stand by Sonny, silently thanking them before returning her attention to her grandmother.

As the two women get reacquainted with each other, Jason and Sonny excuse themselves to the kitchen, needing to discuss what happens from here. Obviously there was something going on, something neither of them had known about, something that needed to be stopped. If something like this can happen in their territory without them knowing about it, clearly they hadn't set up enough precautions to prevent it from happening. For someone to step into their territory and pull this off, it took someone with a big enough backing and a hell of a lot of guts. Regardless of all that, Jason makes Sonny one solemn promise, they will pay and they will pay with their lives.

~ . ~

After promising her grandmother that she would see her again soon, Elizabeth and Jason left Sonny's penthouse for Jason's across the hall. Once they step inside, Jason gives her a quick tour of the place, not having much to really show her by any means. He lived a minimal life, only having things in his penthouse that was absolutely necessary and nothing more. Given his lifestyle, he was hardly there anyway, so, rearranging and changing things seemed pretty pointless.

"Once you get settled in, we'll have lunch." Jason says as they stand outside her room. "Then we can talk about seeing Emily."

"Okay." Elizabeth smiled slightly. "I can't wait to see her."

"I'm sure she'd feel the same way." Jason says honestly. "And about the living arrangements..."

"Could be worse." Elizabeth voices when he doesn't continue. "Trust me. I've lived worse."

"If you need anything, all you have to do is say it." Jason says without hesitation. "I want you comfortable while you're here."

"Already am." she admits truthfully. "I mean it. Thanks, Jason."

"Go on." he says with a slight smile. "Lunch won't take too long."

From the moment she stepped off that plane and right into Port Charles, Elizabeth finally felt a sense of freedom, of home. No matter what has gone wrong in this town, it will always be home and she can't wait to finally feel it again, to feel at home and safe. As she unpacks the luggage of clothes they had bought for her before they left Puerto Rico, she takes a moment to appreciate clothes that fit her. Not that she didn't like Jason's clothes or anything, but it was nice to wear something that didn't threaten to fall off her all the time.

After they had lunch, they discussed the protocols that would be in place while he searches for the people that did this to her. He refuses to take any chances when it comes to her. They have caused her enough problems, they've hurt her more than enough, and he refuses to allow them to cause her any more harm. She wonders why he's trying so hard instead of just leaving it to the police.

"I can't explain why." Jason voices after a long moment. "All I know is that I have to. I don't think I can take anything happening to you again."

"Jason..."

"If you believe anything I say, believe that I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe." Jason promises, knowing that she still fears being taken, her nightmares evident of that.

"Jason..." she starts to say but is quickly silenced by the knock on the door. "Emily?"

"You ready to see her?" Jason questions as he rises to his feet.

"I am." she assures, rising to her feet as well.

"Okay." Jason says before pulling open the door to the curious gaze of his sister. "Hey, Em."

"Hey." she returns his greeting. "What's going on? You didn't really explain that much over the phone."

"Do me a favor?" Jason asks carefully.

"You need a favor?" Emily looks at him in surprise. "Okay, sure...anything."

"Don't scream."

"Scream? Why would I..." Emily started to say before Jason stepped out of the way and Elizabeth came into view. "Oh my god..."

"Hey, Emily." Elizabeth voices carefully, smiling softly when Emily rushes over to her, throwing her arms around Elizabeth. "Miss me?"

"M-miss you?" Emily scoffs as tears well up in her eyes, pulling away to meet her eyes. "Are you kidding me? Of course I missed you! H-how is this possible?"

"Long story." Elizabeth replies as they move to sit down. "Lets just say that I was kidnapped and my death was faked. For what reason, we're not sure...but Jason's working on finding out."

"Does anyone else know you're alive?" Emily questions curiously.

"You and my Gram, so far." Elizabeth replies. "I was hoping you could help me set up a way to ease Nikolas into it."

"Of course! I'd love that." Emily says wholeheartedly, unable to take her eyes off her. "I'm sorry...I just can't believe you're really here right now."

"I know the feeling." Elizabeth admits. "We just had lunch, but I was hoping you'd stay for dessert, maybe tell me about all that I've missed..."

"As if you could get me to leave." Emily laughs softly. "Its been a really hard year without you."

"Jason?" Elizabeth questions when he opens the door.

"Just going over to Sonny's." he assures her. "I'll be back before dinner."

"Okay." Elizabeth takes a deep breath before shaking her head.

"I'm guessing your year was a lot harder." Emily says once the door shuts behind Jason.

"You can say that." Elizabeth voices, tearing her gaze away from the door. "But we're not talking about that. We're talking about home and all that's happened."

"But...eventually, right?"

"Maybe." Elizabeth replies. "Its hard for me right now."

"I understand." Emily smiles slightly. "So...you will never believe what I got Nikolas to do..."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks, Lovelies! I am really trying to get chapters out. I hope you enjoyed this one. As always, thank you for your comments and messages. It all means a lot!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Back To Life**

 **~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~**

Quickly sitting up in bed, Elizabeth's heart is pounding at the sight of darkness, her screams ringing out as she backs up against the headboard. Within seconds, Jason bursts into the room, immediately turning the light on in hopes that it'll help her register her surroundings that much quicker. The moment the light goes on, Elizabeth's eyes lock with his before she starts to come out of her frightened state. Settling onto the bed beside her, Jason keeps his distance as she comes down from the fear of yet another nightmare.

"I'm sorry I woke you." Elizabeth whispers as she runs her fingers through her hair, cradling her head in her hands.

"It's okay." he assures, reaching one hand out to touch her once he's sure she's back in reality. "They're getting worse."

"I know." she sighs, laying her head back against the headboard. "I'm trying..."

"Maybe this will take more than just trying to ward off the nightmares." Jason suggests, moving to sit beside her. "Maybe you need to talk about it."

"I can't." she says as she closes her eyes. "I can't talk about it. About any of it."

"The fear is eating you up inside." Jason says seriously. "The nightmares will never get better until you face the fear that keeps you up at night."

"I've tried to say it out loud...when I'm alone, I try to say the words..." she admits, tears welling up in her eyes. "I can't say the words, Jason."

"Maybe talking to a doctor will help." he suggests. "Someone that knows how to deal with something like this."

"If I can't say it to myself, how can I say it to a stranger?" Elizabeth questions, meeting his eyes as the tears fall down her cheeks. "How, Jason?"

"I don't know." Jason sighs, reaching up to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "But we've gotta try something."

"I'll think about it, okay?" she relents, taking a deep breath. "I'm tired...I'm gonna try to get back to sleep."

"Okay." Jason accepts. "In the morning, I'll get a few names and you can research into which doctor you'd like to talk to."

"Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you stay with me tonight?" Elizabeth asks softly, needing him close in case another nightmare grabs hold of her again. "I don't think I can get back to sleep on my own."

"Sure." Jason replies, settling into the bed as she turns to nestle into his side. "Close your eyes. I'm not going anywhere."

"If I start to have a nightmare..."

"I'll help you out of it." Jason promises. "Just try to get some rest, okay?"

"Okay."

Wrapping her arm around him, Elizabeth lets out a deep breath before closing her eyes and falling into a deep slumber. She hates being like this, she knows that something's got to give, but she just can't bring herself to admit to the things that happened to her while she was being held captive. She just couldn't bring herself to remember all the horrible things that happened to her because it only makes it worse. It makes everything in her life so much worse. For a while, she thought she could ignore it, to forget it ever happened, but the nightmares won't let it last. The nightmares remind her every single night that it did happen and no amount of denial will change that.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Emily could see that he was curious as to what she had planned for him today, but she wouldn't ruin the surprise for him. She tells him to trust her and that everything will make sense later that day when they have lunch together. Being the ever respectful prince that he is, Nikolas accepts what she says and tells her he'll be back in time to share in that lunch with her. Walking with him to the launch, she kisses him softly before watching her leave the island for the mainland. She can't wait to see his face when he learns about Elizabeth.

"Hey, Liz." Emily says into the phone after she answers it. "We're all set for lunch on the island. Nikolas has business to handle at the hospital, so, he won't be back till right around lunch time."

"Thanks for this, Em." Elizabeth says wholeheartedly, looking at Jason as he calls the hospital for a list of doctors for her. "I can't wait to see him."

"He's going to lose it, trust me." Emily admits. "He's been having a hard time with things lately. Missing you is messing him up inside."

"I know the feeling." Elizabeth assures. "I'm going with Jason to your family's place to see Lila, but we'll be over right after."

"Good. I should have things set by then." Emily replies. "See you later."

"See you later."

Ending the call, Emily takes a look at the dining hall, knowing just what she wants to do with the place to get it ready for their lunch. Telling Lucky about Elizabeth is something none of them are ready for just yet, knowing that it was going to be a huge shock to him, but knowing it couldn't happen just yet. They'll find a way to reveal the truth to him in due time, but for now they have Nikolas to focus on. Telling him is their first priority and she intends on making it a moment none of them will ever forget.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Pacing back and forth outside his grandmother's bedroom, Jason wasn't at all sure what he should be doing in that moment. Bringing her to see Lila wasn't something he had really understood, he just knows that Lila is the only person that gave him clarity in his chaotic moments and he just hopes that she can be that beckon through the storm for Elizabeth. She listens where others would comment and she hears you though you don't actually say the words that need voicing. Lila is unlike anyone in the world and he just hopes he made the right choice in bringing her here.

"Jason, my boy, you're getting dangerously close to walking a hole in that floor." Edward, his grandfather comments as he walks down the hall to him. "Why don't we have a drink in my office? They're bound to be a while."

"I'm fine." Jason assures, glancing at the closed door.

"Clearly you brought the young woman here for a reason." Edward pushes on. "An important one from what I can gather. One that will take quite some time to sift through, am I right?"

"Okay." Jason takes a deep breath before facing his grandfather. "I'll take the drink."

Walking into the home office with his grandfather, Jason couldn't help but wish that Elizabeth would walk out of the room. He just wants to know for sure that this was the right choice. That bringing her there had been the right choice to make and that it won't make anything worse for her. Accepting the glass of whiskey from Edward, he downs it quickly to help steady his nerves before accepting a refill within the next breath.

"Audrey told us quite a bit about what happened." Edward admits as he takes a seat at his desk. "How is the girl holding up?"

"As best she can given the circumstances." Jason admits. "I was hoping bringing her hear to talk to Lila will help."

"A talk with Lila always helped you in the past." Edward comments with a shake of his head before downing his glass. "I'm thankful to see that you're still able to turn to one of us when the need arises."

"I'd really rather not talk about this." Jason says after a moment. "No offence."

"Okay, how about job offer?" Edward stops him from talking, knowing where his mind went with that sentence. "A temporary offer. I have a new development in the works and I'd appreciate your input before I take it any further. There are a few aspects that just aren't where I need it to be."

"And you want my help with it?"

"I'll pay you, of course." Edward assures. "You helped me out of that bind last time and I'd like the chance to work on this with you, if that's okay. Just while you're waiting for the young Webber girl."

"I could use the distraction." Jason admits, pulling up a chair to sit across from him. "But I won't take your money for it."

"How about I just owe you one, then?"

"Sure." Jason says as he takes the file. "That I'll take."

"Good, good." Edward says with a slight smile. "Its a done deal."

They sat there for about an hour just going over the plans for the project, Jason actually interested in the plans that the old man put together. Given a couple subtle changes, Jason believes that this development could be a much needed upgrade for the docks. A part of him wanted to ask the old man just why he's suddenly interested in developing the docks, but he knows better than to question the man's motives. Just as they were ironing out the details for the project, a knock sounds at the door and Elizabeth walks in.

"Just wanted to let you know I'll be waiting by the bike." Elizabeth explains, smiling slightly at the sight that greeted her when she opened the door.

"We're pretty much done here." Jason assures as he rises to his feet, turning to Edward as he lifts the file. "Mind if I take this?"

"Go right ahead." Edward says, rising to his feet. "You can send it by carrier when you're finished."

"I'll drop it off myself." Jason assures before shaking the old man's hand. "Thanks, grandfather."

"Of course." Edwards smiles brightly, thankful for the family moment with his grandson. "I look forward to the changes you put in place."

Walking out of the house with Elizabeth, they make their way to the Elm Street Pier where they'll be riding the launch to Spoon Island. He hadn't been certain about spending any time alone with his grandfather, but he finds that he appreciates the man's attempt at keeping his mind of Elizabeth's talk with Lila. He wants to ask her about it, but he knows that she'll tell him if that's what she wants to do. She seems a lot brighter than she had been that morning and that gave him hope that he made the right choice by bringing her by to see Lila.

"Jason." she says, stopping him just shy of knocking on the door. "Thank you for taking me to see her. It really helped to talk to her."

"Good. I was hoping it would."

"She suggested Dr. Baldwin." Elizabeth voices before knocking on the door. "I set up an appointment to see her tomorrow."

"Do you want me to wait for you while you're there?"

"I'd like that." she says as she glances up to look in his eyes. "If you're not busy."

"I'm not." he assures. "I'll be there."

"Hey, guys." Emily greets them when she pulls open the door. "Nikolas just called, he's on his way back, the launch just left to pick him up."

Making their way into the dining hall, Elizabeth and Emily walk off together to make sure everything was set for the lunch. Jason could see that everything was fine, but he surmises that Emily just wants Elizabeth to feel like she had a hand on setting it up. Something that he credits to Emily's ability to see that her friend was dealing with a lot. They both just want to help Elizabeth ease back into her life and he just couldn't wait to get her back to the girl he had known before she was taken. It didn't take long for Nikolas to arrive to the island, calling out for Emily when no one greets him at the door.

"Alfred? Emily?" Nikolas calls out as he makes his way into the dining hall. "Where's everyone at?"

"Hi, my love." Emily greets him at the door, keeping his focus solely on her. "I hope you don't mind, but I kind of gave the staff the afternoon off."

"That's fine, but why?" Nikolas questions her curiously. "Did I forget a special occasion or something?"

"Forget? No." Emily says with a soft smile. "Special occasion...well..."

As Emily steps to the side, allowing his focus to fall onto the rest of the room, she's unable to choke back the tears as tears form in her boyfriend's eyes at the sight of Elizabeth. All words ceased to form as he silently made his way over to the girl that they had lost a year prior, unable to believe the sight that stood before him. Elizabeth's tears began to fall down her cheeks when he finally got to her and pulled her into his arms, both letting out a collective deep breath once the connection was made.

"I don't care how." Nikolas whispers, holding her tightly as the reality of her existence hits him in full force. "I just care that you are. You're really here."

"I am." she whispers, clinging to him just as tightly. "I've missed you."

"You truly have no idea." Nikolas says, shutting his eyes to fight off the tears that threatened to continue. "Life hasn't been the same without you. Nothing has. Never leave again."

"I don't intend to, I assure you." Elizabeth says, glancing over at Jason who meets her eyes. "I intend on doing whatever it takes to get my life back."

 **A/N: Okay, so, there's the update as promised for the third story in the chosen few. Can't wait to hear what you thought. Thank you for hanging in there and showing me to love and support you have over these many years. You all mean the world to me. Thank you!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Back To Life**

 **~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~**

Say the words. Just say it. She tries to plead with herself to just put hell into words, but she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to admit what happened because it would become real. Not just for her, but for someone else. Someone else will know the hell that she had lived through. Staring at the other woman, Elizabeth just couldn't bring herself to say the words, her voice failing her each time she tried. Though she fears the nightmares that grip her through the night, it appears she fears voicing it even more.

"Its okay, Elizabeth." Dr. Baldwin says softly, setting down her notepad. "You showed up. That's a really good first step."

"What if I can't get past the first step?" Elizabeth counters with a shaky voice. "What if this is as far as I get?"

"I know it must seem that way now, but it won't always be like this." Dr. Baldwin assures her. "Right now we're strangers, you don't know me, so, its hard for you to open up. I am quite confident, however, that the more we meet, the easier you'll find it to drop your guard long enough to work out what happened."

"I can't even say the words to myself." Elizabeth says carefully. "I can't let myself go there, doc. I just can't."

"You were held captive for a year, a horrible existence from what I can gather." Dr. Baldwin says after a moment. "The fact that you're not curled up in a ball nearly catatonic is something to be proud of, Elizabeth. In spite of everything you have been through, everything you fear, you are still standing. Let that be enough for now."

"Okay." she takes a deep breath before shaking her head.

"You are clearly a strong, determined woman." Dr. Baldwin comments. "In time, I'm sure you'll be able to find your way again."

"Thanks, Dr. Baldwin." Elizabeth says before rising to her feet. "Same time next week?"

"Same time next week." Dr. Baldwin assures before pulling open the door for her. "Until then, I want you to consider writing in a journal. It has been known to work at times. Okay?"

"Okay."

Walking out of the office, Elizabeth walks straight into Jason's waiting arms, letting out a deep breath once he secures his arms around her. She knows that she has to tell someone what happened to her. She has to get it out before it swallows her whole, but she just couldn't see herself actually saying the words. The nightmares were one thing, but admitting to them...having someone else know what happened...she just couldn't stomach it. He doesn't ask her how it went, he doesn't question her on any of it, simply walking with her out of the hospital and taking her back to the penthouse.

"Elizabeth?" Jason voices when she moves to sit down on the couch.

"I'm okay." she says softly. "I just need some time by myself. If that's okay."

"Sure." he says, moving to kneel beside her, gaining her attention. "Call me if you need me?"

"I will." she assures. "Thanks for going with me."

"Anytime." Jason replies wholeheartedly. "Francis will be stationed outside. I won't be gone too long."

Waiting long enough for him to walk out the door, Elizabeth takes a deep breath before making her way up the stairs to the bathroom, stripping down to her bra and pantie as she stands in front of the full length mirror. Most of the small scars have begun to fade while a few of the deeper scars are still very much visible along her legs. Along her abdomen. Being a lab rat for people like them, the kinds of things they had put her through, the kinds of things she has had to endure, she doesn't know how she'll ever be able to put them into words.

"Hey, Em." Elizabeth greets her as she pulls open the door further to allow her entrance. "Thanks for coming over."

"Are you kidding?" Emily laughs softly. "As if you had to twist my arm."

"I know." she smiles softly. "Where's Nick?"

"He's with Lucky." Emily admits, shrugging out of her jacket. "He needed his help with a project for his new place."

"Oh." Elizabeth voices before walking over to the couch to sit down. "That's good."

"Lucky still doesn't know about you." Emily explains as she sits down on the love chair. "We just can't find the words to tell him."

"Not like he'd believe you if you told him." Elizabeth counters. "I know I wouldn't. I'd have to see it for myself."

"Yeah." Emily agrees. "Have you thought about seeing him?"

"I..." Elizabeth takes a deep breath. "Not yet. I can't."

"Its okay. I didn't think you'd want to." Emily replies softly. "He did get married, after all."

"I should be okay with it...with him moving on." Elizabeth says on a low voice. "I should understand. I should accept..."

"You should feel whatever you want to." Emily corrects. "Liz, you've been through hell, you get to feel whatever you want."

"But he didn't know any of that. He didn't know I was still alive." Elizabeth tries to keep perspective despite her inner turmoil. "He didn't betray me by moving on."

"Liz..." Emily sighs, moving to sit beside her. "It doesn't stop it from hurting, does it?"

"No." she whispers, tears frozen in her eyes. "No, it doesn't."

The tears don't fall, however, having long since given up crying over all that she has lost. The world as she knew it has changed and, somehow, she will find a way to change, as well. She will find a way to let go of what had been and look forward to what could be. Hugging Emily, she takes a deep breath, knowing that it will never be truly done until she comes face to face with Lucky. Until she can look him in the eyes and see the reality set before her. So, as hard as it was going to be, as much as it was going to hurt, Elizabeth knows she has to see him.

"Jason, my boy, have you finished the revisions already?" Edward greets him as he steps aside to allow him to enter the estate.

"Yeah." Jason says, handing him the file as he walks inside. "It'll take a lot of work, but its worth the effort. I put in for the permits and licenses. They should be ready for pick up by tomorrow."

"That's is beyond what I had expected. Thank you." Edward replies as he thumbs through the file. "It means more than you know, boy."

"My way of thanking you for what you did the other day." Jason explains. "Things with Elizabeth...its been hard. I appreciate what you tried to do."

"You're family." Edward gives as his only defense. "And we Quartermaines stick together, no matter what."

"I know." Jason smiles slightly. "If you need anymore help, let me know."

"Careful, boy, I might just hold you to that."

"That's fine." Jason says as he pulls open the door. "Wouldn't say if I didn't mean it."

Leaving the old man to his own accord, Jason makes his way back to Harbor View Towers, needing to meet up with Sonny in regard to the search. They put feelers out through the underworld and are hoping to hear back from some people soon. They already have Stan looking into the van that had transported Elizabeth to the compound. He says that its bouncing through dummy corporations, but he's getting closer to tracing it all the way back to the original source. Walking off the elevator on the penthouse floor, he was surprised to find Emily walking out of his penthouse with a curious look on her face.

"Em?" Jason voices, gaining her attention.

"Oh, hey, Jason." Emily smiles slightly, accepting the hug. "Liz just went up for a bath."

"Everything okay?"

"She wants me to set up a meeting for her and Lucky." Emily explains. "She thinks its time for him to know."

"Ah." Jason manages to get out, uncertain of that particular encounter.

"Anyway, I should get going." Emily says as she hits the down button. "Take care of her, okay?"

"Always."

Walking into the penthouse, Jason decides to make them something to eat, knowing that it couldn't hurt. Entering the kitchen, he got started on making some pasta, boiling the noodles and cooking up the ground beef. He was combining the ingredients when Elizabeth came walking into the kitchen, a soft smile on her lips. Her eyes, though, told a different story. She was having a hard time still and he just wishes he knew how to help her. He wishes more than anything that he could fix it all.

"Need help?" she asks as she stands beside him looking into the pot.

"You can set up a place for us to eat." Jason suggests. "Maybe grab a couple drinks from the fridge, as well."

"Sure." Elizabeth replies. "I can do that."

"Em tells me you're planning on meeting with Lucky."

"I am." Elizabeth admits, grabbing a couple plates and forks from the cupboard before heading to the fridge. "I just need to get it over with, you know?"

"Sure." Jason shrugs. "As long as it doesn't set you back."

"Gotta face reality sooner or later." Elizabeth counters, grabbing some drinks. "I'll set everything up on the coffee table. Maybe put a couple pillows on the floor to sit on."

While Elizabeth and Jason get ready to eat, his meeting with Sonny on the back burner, Emily calls up Lucky to meet up for lunch. His tone threw her off for a moment, but she shrugged it off just the same when he assured her he was fine. Making her way to the diner, she was surprised to find he was looking a little thinner than usual. With an arched eyebrow, she accepts the hug of welcome and takes a seat with him at an empty table.

"You sure you're okay?" Emily questions, uncertain of what's been going on with him lately. "You look...different."

"Nikolas said the same thing." Lucky sighed. "And I'm gonna tell you what I told him. I'm fine. I've just had late hours these last few weeks helping my dad at the club."

"Oh, okay." Emily accepts. "Anyway, I just wanted to ask if you'd be free to meet up later on today for dinner. If you're gonna be at the club tonight, we can meet up there. I just have something to show you."

"Why couldn't you show it to me here?"

"Its not ready yet." Emily replies simply. "It'll be ready by tonight, though, so, will you meet me? It has to be private though, so, maybe reserve a room or something."

"Fine, sure." Lucky accepts with a shake of his head. "Luke's at seven. I'll be there setting up. No one will be at the club until at least eight."

"Good, great." Emily says as the waitress comes to order their food. "Thanks."

"Anything for a friend."

Sending a quick text to Jason's phone, Emily decides to enjoy her lunch with Lucky, knowing its been a while since they've had a chance to truly hang out. One thing or another always tends to break the plans they make and she finds that she truly misses him. Receiving the text, Jason shows it to her, waiting long enough for her to send a reply before he puts it back in his pocket. He can see that she's uncertain of this meeting, but she will go through with it regardless because there was no changing reality.

"Will you be coming with me?" Elizabeth asks as she sets down her fork. "If you're busy..."

"Do you need me to be there?"

"I...I'm not afraid of Lucky. I know he won't hurt me." Elizabeth takes a deep breath. "I just..."

"I'll wait outside the club." Jason says softly, knowing she was trying to stay strong, but wishing she'd just let him see what's truly going on behind the wall she's built. "If you need me, I'll come inside. Okay?"

"Okay." she accepts, picking her fork back up. "Thanks."

"You really don't have to thank me." Jason says firmly. "I want to be here for you."

"I know." she smiles slightly. "I just want you to know how much it means to me that you are. Thanks seems so insignificant in describing what I feel, but its all that comes out when I try to come up with the words that'll express it."

"Sometimes..." Jason says as he reaches out a hand to hold hers. "...sometimes the words don't need to be spoken to be known."

"I'll uh..." she starts to say before her drop to their joined hands, a soft smile touching her lips before she looks up to meet his eyes. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

"Okay." he smiles slightly. "Anyway, I have to go check in with Sonny, see where things stand, but I'll be back over to take you to Luke's to meet with Lucky."

"Jason..." she says, keeping hold of his hand as he tries to get up. "I..."

"Don't be afraid." he says, giving her hand a gentle reassuring squeeze. "You can tell me anything any time."

"Seeing Lucky, its gonna be hard for me." Elizabeth says after taking a deep breath. "I might need a way to escape it all once its all said and done."

"I got just the thing." he assures her with a slight smile. "You gonna be okay here until I get back?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay." she replies before letting go of his hand. "If...If I wanted to talk to you about my time...away...will that be okay?"

"If you can, I'll listen." Jason says without hesitation. "But don't feel pressured into opening up about it until you're truly ready to do so."

"Its not easy for me to open up about what happened, not with myself or with the doctor." Elizabeth admits. "But maybe...with you...I just might be able to."

"After your meeting with Lucky then." Jason says as he grabs his leather jacket. "I have the perfect place for that kind of conversation."

"Okay." she smiles slightly. "Sounds good."

"Okay." he replied. "Just leave the dishes when you're done, I'll clear it up later."

"No, that's okay. I'll do them." she shakes her head. "I've got time on my hands, anyway, and I really don't mind."

"Okay. Call if you need me."

"I will."

As the door closes behind Jason, Elizabeth relaxes back into the couch from her spot on the floor. Turning over the hand that he held, staring at her palm, Elizabeth wonders what that surge of feeling was all about, it was a familiar feeling, but stronger than she had ever felt before. Just by a simple touch of his hand, it sent a wave of electricity through her body, making her wonder about things she hasn't wondered about in such a long time. Strange. Shaking her head, she finishes off her food before clearing the dishes and wiping down the kitchen. Whatever that was that just happened, it'll have to wait for another time and place. For now, she has to prepare for her meeting with Lucky and the goodbye that will inevitably follow.

 **A/N: There won't be too much focus on what's going on with Lucky, but we will resolve the whole wife issue soon enough as the story gets deeper into Elizabeth's time held captive. Hope you enjoyed this one. The next one will surround Elizabeth seeing Lucky and having a talk with Jason. Till then...take care!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Back To Life**

 **~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~**

Lucky wasn't sure what Emily wanted with him or what she wanted to show him, but he figured it was best to just leave it between friends. His wife had other things on her mind anyway and he doubts she'd care much about Emily's desire to show him something important to her. Though he has tried to build a bridge between the two, with his brother as well, it seems as if his wife was intent on burning it down each time. He loves her, no doubt about it, but he wishes she'd at least try to get along with them for his sake.

Standing in front of the mirror, staring at himself, Lucky begins to see the changes that his brother and Emily had mentioned. He's growing a lot thinner these days, but he just didn't have an answer as to why. The only excuse he could come up with is the long hours he has put in at the club lately, but it couldn't be the real answer because his father feeds him every chance he gets. Looking back now, he gathers its because he had seen the changes, as well. His parents have started to distance themselves from his wife and he really wishes they'd stop. Its hard enough with Emily and Nikolas, he didn't need it from his parents too.

"I'm heading to work." he voices to his wife, who remains by the vanity applying her makeup.

"Yeah, okay, bye." was her response before she picks up her cellphone to call her grandmother, the only person she seems to talk on the phone with these days.

"Love you." he calls out to her as he pulls open the door, thankful that she at least has her grandmother to feel connected to besides him.

"Love you, too, darling."

Closing the door, he makes his way to his car before heading out to the club, thankful for the moment of peace where he can just be himself. The days had to get easier, didn't it? They wouldn't always be this way, right? Holding onto hope for a better future with his wife and his family, Lucky focuses on the drive, driving just below the speed limit in an attempt to prolong the peace. Arriving at the club, he lets himself in, finding the usual note from his father, detailing all that needs to get done before he arrives.

Arriving just after Lucky walks into the club, Elizabeth dismounts the bike before handing Jason the helmet, taking a deep breath as she stares at the club. Could she really do this? Could she really walk in there and face the reality that he was no longer hers? To face that he has moved on to a life without her? After all this time, she wanted nothing more than to go back, to go back to that moment and leave the apartment with him to get the ice cream. If only it were possible.

"Elizabeth..." Jason voices when she remains frozen by the bike, reaching out a hand to take hold of hers. "You don't have to."

"I know." she whispers. "I just..."

"Hey." he dismounts the bike before making her face him. "You can do this later. When you're ready."

"Nothing will change if I leave now, Jason." she counters, allowing him to take her other hand in his, accepting the support he was giving freely. "My time away won't disappear. His marriage won't disappear."

"But you don't have to face him now." he points out. "You don't have to face this...all of this...now."

"I...can do this." she takes a deep breath before shaking her head. "You'll be out here, right? You won't leave?"

"I'll be right here."

"Okay...I can do this." she says with a little more confidence than before. "I'm going to do this. There's no use running from reality."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure." she says giving his hands a quick squeeze before releasing her hold on him. "Just...don't leave."

"I won't."

Taking a deep breath, she turns away from Jason to face the club once more, pausing for just a moment before she makes her way across the parking lot to the front door of the club. Reaching up a shaky hand, Elizabeth turns the doorknob before pulling it open, knowing she couldn't turn back now. Emily wanted to be here, but she didn't think it was wise. She had to face Lucky alone. With what they had to discuss, it was best this way. Emily would only get in the middle and it wouldn't help anything. Walking in, she finds him wiping down the bar, a vision beyond compare. God, how long has she wanted to see him, to be near him again?

"Lucky." she voices nervously before clearing her throat. "Lucky!"

"That voice..." he whispers, not daring to look up, afraid to do so. "No..."

Walking over to the bar, knowing she had to be right in front of him, she reaches out a hand to stop him from wiping down the counter. The moment her hand touched his, he stopped cold, unable to move or even look up to see if it was real, to see if she was really there. His eyes slide shut and he holds it tightly, refusing to believe, refusing to allow himself the miracle that has taken claim to him. This couldn't be real. It couldn't. She's not really there, he convinced himself, but still her hand remained over his, the feel of her skin upon his own and he couldn't deny it any longer. Opening his eyes, he meets the deep blue orbs he had only seen in his dreams as of late.

"Elizabeth..." he chokes out past the tears.

"Hi, Lucky."

"I...how?" he voices, looking down at their hands as she pulls away. "How are you here?"

"Jason." she replies as she turns away to walk over to an empty table, pulling out a chair to sit down. "He found me. He brought me home."

"J-Jason..." he shakes his head before walking out from behind the counter. "Found you? Found you how? Where?"

"Puerto Rico." she answers as he kneels in front of her, staring up into her face. "I was taken, held captive..."

"My god, Elizabeth, I thought you were dead! We all thought you were dead." he says as he takes her hands in his, tears falling as it sinks in that this was real, that she was real. "Why would someone do this to you? To us?"

"I don't know." she whispers, sliding her hands from his before standing up and walking away from him, unable to handle the closeness. "I wish I did."

"Elizabeth..."

"For so long, I've wanted to see you again, to be with you..." Elizabeth voices, arms wrapped around herself. "So many nights of wishing you'd find me and take me from them. To save me from the hell I was living in."

"I didn't know..."

"I've missed you, so much." she whispers, turning to face him with tears in her eyes. "I've missed us so much."

"Elizabeth..." Lucky fidgeted with the wedding band that now lay heavy on his left hand.

"Its okay, Lucky." Elizabeth sighs, swiping at the tears. "Jason told me after we got to safety. He told me you got married."

"If I knew you were alive..." Lucky takes a step forward before stopping when she held up a hand to him. "If I knew you were alive, Elizabeth, I would have done anything to save you."

"But you didn't know." she counters simply. "And you moved on."

"Elizabeth...please."

"For a long time, I was angry, I hated you for moving on without me. A permanent lock, that's what you said to me." Elizabeth admits, needing to get it all out. "Permanent. So much for that, huh?"

"Elizabeth..."

"But I'm not angry anymore, Lucky. I'm not." she assures as she ignores the pained look on his face. "I'm...happy for you. I'm glad that you were able to move past losing me to find love again."

"Stop. Please." Lucky says as he walks over to her, framing her face in his hands. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth, I'm so sorry. I wish I knew you were still out there. I wish I knew you were still alive."

"I know...if only you did." Elizabeth whispers, removing his hold on her face and taking a step back. "But we can't change the past. We can't change what is."

"Elizabeth..."

"You love her, don't you? Your wife...you love her, right?"

"Yes." he admits, allowing his hands to fall to his sides. "But I love you, too."

"I love you, Lucky, but we can't go back." Elizabeth takes a deep breath to steady her nerves. "What we had is gone...it died in the fire...its just taken me until now to realize it."

"Don't walk away, please, don't leave."

"G-Goodbye, Lucky." Elizabeth says as her hand hovers over the doorknob. "I really hope you get all you want out of life. I wish you nothing but happiness."

"Elizabeth..." he chokes out as she pulls open the door. "Please..."

"Goodbye."

Walking out of the club, her lip starts to tremble as the tears begin to fall, wishing more than anything that this wasn't the end for them. That they could go back to the people they had been before the fire, before she was taken, but she knows that's not possible. They are no longer those people and pretending that they were would only hurt them in the end. He's found love again, he's created a family of his own with his wife, and he will continue to progress through his life without her. He doesn't know it now, but this will be good for him. It'll be good for both of them.

Getting to Jason, she accepts the helmet he holds out to her before she straddles the bike and they take off into the night. Its done. She faced her past and she accepted the world as it is. Clinging to Jason, she allows herself to grieve as they speed down the streets of the town. When Jason takes a turn onto an unfamiliar road to her, Elizabeth lifts her head to see where they have gone, smiling slightly as they hit the first turn. Throwing her head back into the wind, Elizabeth lets go of it all, of the past and the pain, she lets go of the world around her to exist in that moment.

With each turn they hit, she finds herself letting go more and more, before all that was left was the thrill of the ride and the man that was opening her world to a new way of life. As the world speeds by them, melting into a blur, Elizabeth felt something familiar bubble up within her to ring out through the night air. Laughter. A deep emotional laughter as her heart raced with the sound of the engine. In that moment, as they hit top speed, she realized what it was. Freedom. Freedom from her emotions and her past. Freedom from her life.

"We're here." he says softly, when he stops the bike just shy of the bridge.

"What is this place?" she whispers as she dismounts the bike to take a look around. "Its so beautiful."

"Its the place I go to think." Jason admits as he walks with her to the center of the bridge. "When life becomes too complicated for me to handle I come here."

"I can see why. Its so peaceful here."

"If you're really quiet, you can hear the water down below." he says softly, as she looks over the edge.

"Thank you for bringing me here." she says softly, turning to look at him. "The ride was unlike anything I've ever experienced."

"It's my escape."

"Do you mind sharing it with me again?" Elizabeth asks softly. "Its an escape I can get used to."

"Anytime." he assures her. "Do you still want to talk?"

"I..." she smiles slightly. "Yeah...I think I do."

"Then come on." he says, holding out his hand to her. "The place I mentioned is just up ahead."

Walking together across the bridge, Elizabeth allows herself to relish the moment of peace that they had found themselves in, everything around them seemed to lend to the moment. As they walked, Elizabeth noticed some statues coming into view, only then did she release her hold on Jason's hand to go and look at the art before her. The little girl had to be her favorite of them all. She was so young and beautiful as if untouched by the world. The kind of house that must have stood there many years ago, how she wishes she could have seen it in all its glory.

"This really is the perfect place." she whispers as she makes her way over to Jason, who now sits upon a cement bench beneath an old oak tree. "Are you sure it'll be okay to talk to you about it? I mean, it could be too much..."

"I can handle it." he assures her. "Don't hold back."

Taking a deep breath, she closes her eyes, takes hold of his hand before the words slowly pour out of her. She tells him what it was like the first time she woke up to find she had been taken. She couldn't move or speak, she felt trapped in her own body as people walked about, talking about her and all that would soon transpire. She tried to scream, to yell for help, but nothing came out, her mouth didn't even move. Once they realized she was conscious they injected her with something to drag her back down into the darkness.

"When they started the experiments, they kept me alert. I was still unable to move or speak, but I could feel everything." she says, her voice trembling. "I could feel as the knife cut into me for the first time. It was a pain I had never known before. The blade was cold, ice cold against my skin, but my body burned hot as the knife slid across my body."

She tells him of the time they had burnt a portion of her body to test their miracle burn treatment. It had felt like the fire was enveloping her entire body as they kept the flame against her skin. All she could hear was her own mind screaming against the pain. All she could smell was the burning of her own flesh. In that moment, she wished for death, she wished for her life to end, but it didn't. She still lived on and the experiments continued. Each part of her body tested for one of their many experiments. Ways to defy life threatening wounds and, in some cases, death itself.

"Sometimes, I can still feel the heat against my skin..." she whispers as the tears break through her tightly shut eyes. "I can still feel their hands on my body as they...as they cut into..."

"Hey, its okay." he says gently, taking his hand from hers to frame her face in his hands, wiping away the tears that haven fallen. "That's enough for now. Okay? You don't have to continue."

"I...I can't take it if they take me again." Elizabeth opens her eyes to meet his, the trapped tears falling down her cheeks. "I won't survive it, Jason. I-I just won't."

"They will never get to you again, you hear me? Never again!" he vows, wiping the tears before pulling her into a warm embrace. "I'll make sure of it."

.

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Thanks.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Back To Life**

 **~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~**

Seeing Lucky had to have been the hardest part of being brought back to life in that town. Seeing the torment he was suffering through, knowing she had been alive all this time without him knowing and having moved on only to find out she was alive, it was hard to live through. It was hard to watch him wish it wasn't true. To walk away when he was begging her to stay. Every part of her wanted to stay. To find a way to make it work. To find their way back. Her feet carried her away regardless. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how much her heart begged for her to stay, she walked away and she has to believe its for the best. Everything happens for a reason. She has to believe that.

"Hey." Nikolas places a gentle hand over hers, stopping her from brushing Sheba. "I think Sheba's all brushed out."

"Oh. Right." she chuckles softly before handing off the brush. "I guess I got a little lost for a second."

"Its okay." Nikolas assures as he tosses the brush to the side. "Everything okay? Where's your head at?"

"I saw Lucky yesterday." Elizabeth concedes, moving to sit down on a bale of hay. "It was hard."

"Ah." he says on a sigh as he moves to sit beside her. "Emily had mentioned something about setting up a face to face for you."

"Yeah." she confirms, hanging her head slightly. "He looked so torn. Begging me to stay. I just...I wasn't prepared for that."

"Understandable." Nikolas replies softly. "What can I do for you, Liz? How can I make this okay for you?"

"Just...take care of him, okay?" Elizabeth lifts her gaze to meet his. "As much as I know we can't go back, I still need to know he's okay, you know?"

"Yeah." he says as he slings his arm across her shoulders, allowing her to nestle into his side. "I just hope you know I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you always."

"I know." she says as she shuts her eyes. "It means the world to me."

Staying like that for a moment longer, Elizabeth and Nikolas rise to their feet before taking the horses out for a ride, both needing it in that moment. As they make their way around the island, Elizabeth loses herself in the moment, allowing herself to just exist. No matter what will come after this moment, she will accept it, but - for right now - she will live in the peace and tranquility of a long horse ride. By the time they got back to the stables, Elizabeth was met by Johnny and Francis bribing Alfred to give them a horse to ride. Apparently her ride took longer than expected and they were growing anxious with the situation.

~ . ~

Jason had gone back to his penthouse after a meeting with Sonny to take a quick shower before heading out again, but the sight of Lucky at this door put all that on the back burner. The look on the kid's face, it was clear that he was still having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that Elizabeth was alive. According to Emily, he had called her right after Elizabeth left him and the guy just wasn't taking it well. Taking a deep breath, Jason walks up to the kid, accepting the situation he has found himself in.

"Lucky."

"Hey, Jason." Lucky replies plainly. "You got a minute, man?"

"Sure." Jason says before opening the door and letting him in. "You okay?"

"I...I don't know." Lucky admits, walking over to the wet bar to pour himself a glass of whiskey. "I mean, Elizabeth's alive, man. She's alive. I can't even begin to comprehend it. Can you? I mean, of course you can, you found her. God. You found her. I should have found her. It should have been me...I never should have accepted it."

"Lucky, you can't honestly blame yourself for not knowing she was alive."

"How can I not? I moved on, Jason. While she was living through hell, I moved on." Lucky downs the glass of whiskey. "How could I do that?"

"Lucky."

"I mean, I love my wife, I do. She's the world to me, but Elizabeth...she was my forever." Lucky groans, pouring himself another glass. "She's the one I built my dreams on. Everything I wanted for my future had Elizabeth in it...how is she, Elizabeth, how's she doing?"

"She's okay." Jason says after a moment, stopping him from pouring another glass. "She survived. She's rebuilding."

"Without me." Lucky sighs, handing over the glass to Jason. "This wasn't meant to be our lives, Jason."

"I'm sure she feels the same way." Jason assures. "But you did move on and she's trying to find a way to do the same."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, if she wants to let you go, you need to let her." Jason says carefully. "I know having her return must be a shock for you, but Elizabeth's dealing with a lot. I just don't want you making it harder for her."

"If you were in my position...what would you do?" Lucky dares to ask. "What would you have done if you had been me and your girlfriend supposedly died in a fire?"

"I can't say what I would have done because I haven't lived it." Jason counters with understanding. "You lived it the best you knew how. You can't fault yourself for how you handled it."

"I know...I just..." Lucky hangs his head. "But if you were in my position now..."

"I'd let Elizabeth make her own choices and accept whatever she decided." Jason admits honestly. "I'd put aside my love for her and I'd do whatever it took to make it easier for her. Even if it meant removing myself from her life."

"Yeah, I guessed that's what you'd say." Lucky sighs before he pulls open the door. "Thanks for the talk. I mean, I knew its what I'd have to do, but...I don't know. Maybe I needed to hear it from someone else."

"Take care of yourself, Lucky."

"Yeah." Lucky shakes his head. "You take care of her, okay?"

Granting him a single nod, Jason watches as the kid walks out of the penthouse, his head hanging as he leaves. In all honesty, Jason does feel for the guy, having to lose your girlfriend and then finding out she was alive right after getting married to another girl. He couldn't even begin to understand what the guy was going through, but it didn't stop him from laying out a few truths either. His main concern in all of this is Elizabeth and the last thing he needs is for Lucky to set back all the progress she has made thus far.

~ . ~

After leaving Spoon Island, Elizabeth heads to the hospital with the two guards, needing to get to her appointment with Dr. Baldwin. After talking to Jason, she finally feels capable of talking it out with the doctor, understanding that none of it was her fault. What they did to her, all she had suffered through, its nothing for her to be ashamed of. Its nothing for her to hide. It happened and she just has to find a way to move past it. She just hopes that talking to Dr. Baldwin will be the ticket to getting her there.

"I'm here to see Dr. Baldwin." Elizabeth says to the desk nurse, confused by the look on the woman's face.

"I'm so sorry, I thought I had called all of her patients." the nurse said apologetically. "Dr. Baldwin had an emergency come up and she's unable to see patients today. She truly apologizes for the inconvenience and has created an extra appointment date to make up for it. If I could just get your name..."

"Elizabeth Webber." Elizabeth replies, saddened by that revelation, looks like therapy will have to wait for another day.

"Ah, yes, she has you down for tomorrow morning, 8 o'clock. You'll be her first appointment for the day."

"Thanks." Elizabeth says, accepting the appointment card from her before turning to find the guys talking to Sonny. "Hi, Sonny."

"Elizabeth." Sonny says in greeting. "Here for an appointment?"

"I was, but it was cancelled." Elizabeth admits. "What about you?"

"Just a favor for Luke." Sonny concedes but doesn't elaborate. "Since you're free, why don't we have lunch?"

"Sure. That sounds good." Elizabeth agrees, walking with him to the elevator. "Kelly's?"

"I was thinking the Grille."

"I haven't eaten there in a long time." Elizabeth concedes as the elevator doors open up and they walk off it. "I wonder if the food's still any good."

"Well, lets find out shall we?"

Riding together to the restaurant, Elizabeth and Sonny spoke like a couple old friends in spite of not knowing each other before she was taken. Sure, she knew of him and maybe he knew of her on some level, but their paths never really crossed all that much. One wouldn't truly know that, however, as they talked during their drive. It seemed as if they were old friends catching up on all they had missed and they found comfort in that. Sonny having grieved for her over the last year has gained a sense of appreciation for her existence.

"Its been difficult. Coming home and finding everything has changed." Elizabeth admits as they get comfortable at their table. "People try to make it okay, they try to understand, but its not something that can be understood, you know? I was taken and now I'm back. Nothing's the same, not even me, and I'm left standing alone trying to figure out my place in it all."

"Yeah, it can be tough, but you can't truly believe you're alone."

"For the most part, I know that. I have my gram and my friends. Jason. You." Elizabeth sighs. "Its mentally that I find myself alone. With my thoughts. My emotions. All of it."

"That I can relate to, believe me." Sonny smiles slightly. "But its the people around us that can keep us out of that loneliness."

"Yeah, you're right. Its when I'm with those closest to me that I don't feel it as much." Elizabeth concedes. "Like now, just talking to you, I don't feel it quite as much."

"Jason helps a lot, huh?" Sonny comments. "I can see you two have come to be real close lately."

"He's been good to me. For me." Elizabeth says with a soft smile, accepting the food from the waitress. "I don't know where I'd be without him."

As Sonny's food is set before him, the two allow a calm silence to fall over them as they enjoy their meals. As unprecedented as this was, they both believe that it was a good step towards something meaningful, a friendship of sorts. Elizabeth is grateful to Sonny for so many reasons, mainly for setting forth the assignment that placed Jason in the position to rescue her, regardless of his not having the knowledge to do so. He still was responsible for Jason being there and inevitably saving her. For that, she'll always be thankful.

~ . ~

Things seemed to be growing more complicated the deeper they dug into the situation, but he's almost certain they're near the core of this whole fiasco. For some reason, Lucky's fiance has become the focus and he's uncertain of just what she gets out of any of this. Luke has asked Sonny to help him out with the daughter-in-law from hell and, as always, Sonny's help constitutes his help, as well. Less than five minutes with the woman and it was clear something was up with the brunette.

"Hey." he greets Elizabeth when he walks into the penthouse and finds her sitting on the couch.

"Hi." she replies softly, smiling slightly as he shrugs out of his jacket before walking over to sit down next to her. "You look tired."

"I am." he admits, leaning back against the couch. "How was your day?"

"Riding with Nikolas was nice. It helped clear my head for a while." Elizabeth relays. "My appointment for today was cancelled, but I have one for tomorrow morning."

"I'm sorry." Jason voices. "I know you were looking forward to your session today."

"Its okay." she assures. "Sonny was there and he took me to lunch. We had a good talk."

"That's good."

"We talked a lot about what its been like since I got back." Elizabeth elaborates. "We even talked about you for a while."

"Me?"

"Yeah. Just about how you've really helped me a lot since you found me." Elizabeth concedes. "I told him how good you've been to me. For me. How thankful I am for you finding your way into my life."

"Elizabeth..."

"I know you don't like being thanked for what you do, but it has meant a lot to me, Jason. I hope you know that."

"I do." he assures, lifting up his arm so she can nestle into his side before he lowers his arm around her. "Thank you for letting me be here for you."

They stay like that for a long silent moment, simply unwinding from the day they just had, before they slowly make their way up the stairs to Jason's bedroom. Tomorrow, she'll be back to sleeping in her own room, but not tonight. Tonight she'll sleep in Jason's bed while he takes the floor in hopes of watching over her while she sleeps. The nightmares didn't hit her quite as hard last night after their talk, but he wants to be sure she's okay before she goes back to her own room.

"Jason?" she voices in the dark as she turns on her side to face where he's laying.

"Yeah?"

"Just...goodnight."

"Goodnight." he says softly, reaching up one hand to take hold of hers as she holds it out to him. "I'll be here all night. Try not to be afraid."

"Okay." she whispers, slowly closing her eyes. "Sweet dreams."

"You, too."

* * *

 **A/N: I've been swamped with work and just recently got over the flu, so, my apologies. Hope you enjoyed either way. Thank you all and take care.**


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